How to Use OpenClaw Gemini Search

Gemini Search in OpenClaw uses Google Search grounding. That means it behaves differently from search providers that return a list of URLs and snippets. Gemini produces an AI-synthesized answer with inline citations backed by live Google Search results. This is excellent for concise research answers, but it is not the same as a ten-result SERP payload.

30-second answer

Set GEMINI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment or configure plugins.entries.google.config.webSearch, then set tools.web.search.provider to gemini. The default model is gemini-2.5-flash. Use query as the main parameter. count is accepted for shared web_search compatibility, but Gemini still returns one synthesized answer with citations.

How grounding works

The docs say Gemini grounding returns both the synthesized answer and source URLs. OpenClaw resolves citation URLs from Google redirect URLs to direct URLs using an SSRF guard path with HEAD checks, redirect validation, and http/https validation. Strict defaults block redirects to private or internal targets before returning final citation URLs.

Supported parameters

Gemini search supports query. Provider-specific filters like country, language, freshness, and domain_filter are not supported. That is a key operational detail. If your workflow needs language filtering or date windows, use a provider that exposes those filters instead of asking Gemini to pretend.

Model selection

The model can be changed under plugins.entries.google.config.webSearch.model, as long as the selected Gemini model supports grounding. Keep the default unless you have a measured reason to change it. Search grounding is usually about answer quality and citations, not raw model novelty.

When to choose it

Use Gemini Search when the user wants a cited answer, not a result list. For example: “What changed in this release?” or “Summarize the current policy with citations.” Use Brave, Exa, Perplexity native, Tavily, or SearXNG when the workflow needs a structured result set.

Playbook angle

The Playbook pattern is to label synthesized search clearly. Citations help, but a synthesized answer is still a model output. For decisions, click through or fetch the sources before acting.

Runbook checklist

Before you automate this, run one small acceptance test with harmless input. Confirm the tool is available to the right agent, the credential is loaded from config or environment, the output shape matches the workflow, and the failure message is understandable to a tired operator. If the feature touches money, public channels, logged-in browsers, host commands, or customer data, put a review step before the side effect. If it only reads data, still record the source and timestamp so future sessions do not treat stale context as fresh truth. Keep the first version narrow, then expand once the logs show the agent is choosing the right tool for the right reason. When the docs are incomplete, prefer a conservative sentence over a clever invented shortcut that future agents cannot reliably verify. Add one monitoring habit as well: after the first real run, check the transcript or logs for missing prerequisites, broad prompts, stale assumptions, and accidental side effects. Tighten the instruction while the failure is fresh. The best OpenClaw workflows improve in small, documented passes instead of one giant rewrite after something breaks in public. For SEO pages, that same discipline matters: do not promise hidden capabilities, paid-provider limits, or setup shortcuts unless the current docs say so. Trust compounds when the guide is accurate even in the boring operational edge cases that matter during real maintenance windows.

Operator note

How to Use OpenClaw Gemini Search works best when it is written into a small runbook instead of treated as a magic switch. Record who owns the workflow, which config keys are allowed, which credentials are required, what the agent may do without approval, and what counts as a failure. OpenClaw gives agents broad tools, but the reliable version is boring: one source of truth, one verification step, and one rollback path when a provider or channel behaves differently than expected.