Ollama Web Search

Ollama web search for OpenClaw. Adds web search capabilities powered by Ollama.

The Ollama Web Search plugin is the official web search and content extraction tool built by the Ollama team for OpenClaw. It gives local and cloud models the ability to search the web for up-to-date information and extract readable page content — capabilities that are essential for any AI assistant that needs to answer questions about current events, look up documentation, or research topics in real time. When you launch OpenClaw through `ollama launch openclaw`, this plugin is installed and configured automatically as part of the onboarding flow. It enables two core agent tools: web search (finding relevant results for a query) and web fetch (extracting readable content from URLs). These tools work with any model — local models running on your machine or cloud models accessed through Ollama's API. The plugin is tightly integrated with Ollama's infrastructure. For local models, web search requires `ollama signin` to authenticate with Ollama's search backend. For cloud models, it works out of the box. With over 12,000 weekly downloads, it's one of the most popular OpenClaw plugins — unsurprising given that web search is a fundamental capability most users want from their AI assistant. This plugin is distinct from alternatives like Tavily or Brave Search in that it requires no separate API key or subscription — it uses Ollama's own search infrastructure. For users already running Ollama as their model provider, this is the zero-friction way to add web search.

Tags: search, tool, ollama

Use Cases

  • Real-time information lookup — current events, weather, stock prices, sports scores
  • Documentation research — searching for API docs, library references, and technical guides
  • News monitoring — keeping the AI assistant up to date on topics you care about
  • Fact-checking — verifying claims with live web data instead of relying on training cutoff

Tips

  • Launch with 'ollama launch openclaw' for zero-config setup — the plugin installs and configures automatically
  • Use cloud models like kimi-k2.5:cloud or minimax-m2.7:cloud for best web search results with minimal local resources
  • For local models, ensure at least 64k token context window for meaningful web search results
  • Pair with a memory plugin so research results persist across sessions
  • If you need more powerful search, consider Tavily plugin which offers crawling, extraction, and mapping

Known Issues & Gotchas

  • Local models require 'ollama signin' before web search works — you'll get silent failures without it
  • The plugin is auto-installed by 'ollama launch openclaw' but not by manual OpenClaw setup — install it explicitly if you set up OpenClaw separately
  • Web search adds latency to responses since the agent needs to wait for search results before answering
  • Large context windows (64k+ tokens) are recommended when using web search with local models
  • The plugin only provides search and fetch — it doesn't do deep web crawling or site mapping like Tavily
  • If Ollama's search backend is down, web search silently fails

Alternatives

  • Tavily Web Tools
  • Free Web Search (SearXNG)
  • Brave Search (built-in)

Community Feedback

This allows Ollama's models (local or cloud) to search the web for the latest content and news. This also allows OpenClaw with Ollama to be able to browse the web.

— X (Twitter)

When using Ollama's cloud models, web search is enabled out-of-the-box for OpenClaw. This allows assistants to use up-to-date information.

— Reddit r/openclaw

Ollama handles everything automatically — install, security, model selection, onboarding, and gateway start. Web search and fetch is enabled automatically when launching OpenClaw through Ollama.

— Ollama Docs

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an API key for Ollama Web Search?

No separate API key is required. For cloud models, it works automatically. For local models, you need to run 'ollama signin' once to authenticate with Ollama's search backend.

Is this installed automatically with OpenClaw?

Only if you launch OpenClaw through 'ollama launch openclaw'. If you install OpenClaw manually via npm, you need to install this plugin separately with 'openclaw plugins install @ollama/openclaw-web-search'.

How is this different from Tavily or Brave Search?

Ollama Web Search uses Ollama's own search backend — no separate API key or subscription needed. Tavily offers more advanced features (crawling, mapping, research mode) but requires a paid API key. Brave Search is OpenClaw's built-in option but needs a Brave API key.

Does web search work with local models?

Yes, but you must run 'ollama signin' first and use a model with at least 64k token context window. Cloud models work without any additional setup.

What search tools does the agent get?

The plugin provides two tools: web search (finding relevant results for a query) and web fetch (extracting readable content from URLs). The agent uses these automatically when it needs current information.

Can I use this without Ollama as my model provider?

The plugin is designed for Ollama's ecosystem. If you're using a different model provider (e.g., Anthropic, OpenAI), consider Tavily or Brave Search instead, as this plugin depends on Ollama's search infrastructure.

Configuration Examples

Auto-setup via Ollama

# Terminal:
ollama launch openclaw

Manual plugin install

# Terminal:
openclaw plugins install @ollama/openclaw-web-search

# openclaw.json:
{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "ollama-web-search": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Installation

openclaw plugins install @ollama/openclaw-web-search