{"slug": "introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin", "title": "Introducing SerpApi’s OpenClaw Agent Plugin", "summary": "SerpApi released an open-source plugin for OpenClaw, the self-hosted open-source personal AI assistant, connecting OpenClaw's built-in web_search to SerpApi and adding 30 specialized tools for news, maps, shopping, flights, and more. The plugin, available now on ClawHub, registers a first-class web_search provider through OpenClaw's plugin SDK with no separate MCP server or sidecar process, and authenticates all tools with a single SERPAPI_API_KEY. Google Light is the default backend for general web search because its compact response and low latency suit agent workflows.", "body_md": "OpenClaw is a open-source personal AI assistant, self-hosted and extensible. It can connect to connect to services like email, calendars, messaging apps, web search, and other tools to automate workflows. You can run it on your machine, wire in local or hosted models, and add third-party tools. More information can be found here [https://openclaw.ai/](https://openclaw.ai/) and also check available integrations [https://clawhub.ai/](https://clawhub.ai/).\n\nToday, we are releasing the open-source SerpApi plugin for OpenClaw. It connects OpenClaw’s built-in `web_search` to SerpApi and adds dedicated tools for news, maps, shopping, flights, and more. The plugin is available now on [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/serpapi/plugins/openclaw-plugin).\n\n## What the Plugin Adds\n\nOpenClaw already knows when it needs to search the web. The plugin gives it a SerpApi-backed search stack to choose from:\n\n| What you ask for | OpenClaw tool | \n|---|---|\n| General web research | `web_search` provider | \n| Results from Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo! | `serpapi_bing` ,`serpapi_duckduckgo` ,`serpapi_yahoo` | \n| Query ideas and suggestions | `serpapi_autocomplete` | \n| Current and recent news | `serpapi_news` | \n| Academic papers and citations | `serpapi_scholar` | \n| Places and local businesses | `serpapi_maps` | \n| Reviews for a specific place | `serpapi_maps_reviews` | \n| Restaurants, attractions, and destinations on Tripadvisor | `serpapi_tripadvisor` | \n| Concerts and local events | `serpapi_events` | \n| Weather forecasts | `serpapi_weather` | \n| Flights and fares | `serpapi_flights` | \n| Hotels and vacation rentals | `serpapi_hotels` | \n| Products, prices, and merchants on Google Shopping | `serpapi_shopping` ,`serpapi_immersive_product` | \n| Amazon listings and product details | `serpapi_amazon` ,`serpapi_amazon_product` | \n| Walmart listings and product details | `serpapi_walmart` ,`serpapi_walmart_product` | \n| eBay listings, auctions, and used items | `serpapi_ebay` ,`serpapi_ebay_product` | \n| Visually similar products and image sources | `serpapi_lens` | \n| Job listings | `serpapi_jobs` | \n| Stocks, crypto, and exchange rates | `serpapi_finance` | \n| Search interest over time and by region | `serpapi_trends` | \n| YouTube videos and channels | `serpapi_youtube` | \n| YouTube video details and transcripts | `serpapi_youtube_video` ,`serpapi_youtube_transcript` | \n| Public Facebook and Instagram profiles | `serpapi_facebook_profile` ,`serpapi_instagram_profile` | \n\nMany tools work in pairs: a search tool finds candidates, and a detail tool (Amazon product, map reviews, YouTube transcript) digs into the one that matters.\n\nFor a normal web query, OpenClaw continues to use its familiar `web_search` path; the plugin supplies the SerpApi as backend. For a local, news, shopping, or domain-specific request, OpenClaw can call the matching specialized tool. You can ask naturally without remembering an engine name or tool name.\n\nGoogle Light is the default for general web search because its compact response and low latency are a good fit for agent workflows. The specialized tools keep the useful structured fields from their respective engines-addresses and ratings for places, publishers and dates for news, prices and merchants for products, and so on.\n\nBeyond the core set above, the plugin ships **30 specialized tools** covering Google Scholar, Flights, Hotels, Events, Jobs, Trends, Finance, Lens, Autocomplete, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, YouTube (search, video, transcript), Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Google Immersive Product, Tripadvisor, Weather, and public Facebook/Instagram profiles.\n\n### Key Features\n\n- **Native OpenClaw integration.** The package uses OpenClaw’s plugin SDK and registers a first-class`web_search` provider. There is no separate MCP server or sidecar process to run.\n- **Natural tool selection.** OpenClaw chooses general web search or a specialized SerpApi tool from the user’s request.\n- **One API key.**`SERPAPI_API_KEY` authenticates every search path in the plugin.\n- **Focused responses.** Each search path returns the fields the agent needs instead of passing an entire raw search response into context.\n- **ClawHub distribution.** Install with one command; updates and version history live on ClawHub.\n\n## Getting Started\n\nYou need a working OpenClaw installation and a SerpApi account. If you are new to OpenClaw, follow its [installation guide](https://docs.openclaw.ai/) first.\n\n### Install the plugin\n\n```\nopenclaw plugins install clawhub:@serpapi/openclaw-plugin\n```\n\nRestart the gateway so OpenClaw loads the plugin:\n\n```\nopenclaw gateway restart\n```\n\n### Configure your API key\n\nSet the key via environment variable:\n\n[create a free account](https://serpapi.com/users/sign_up)and get 250 credits each month. After signing up, you’ll find your API key in the\n\n[Dashboard](https://serpapi.com/dashboard).\n\n```\nexport SERPAPI_API_KEY=\"YOUR_SERPAPI_KEY\"\n```\n\nOr add it to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`:\n\n```\n{\n  plugins: {\n    entries: {\n      serpapi: {\n        enabled: true,\n        config: {\n          webSearch: {\n            apiKey: \"YOUR_SERPAPI_KEY\",\n            hl: \"en\",\n          },\n        },\n      },\n    },\n  },\n  tools: {\n    web: {\n      search: {\n        provider: \"serpapi\",\n        enabled: true,\n      },\n    },\n  },\n}\n```\n\nVerify the plugin is loaded:\n\n```\nopenclaw plugins list\n```\n\n### Run OpenClaw with Docker (for the paranoid)\n\nI added this section for anyone who wants to experiment with OpenClaw without installing it locally or giving it full access to their computer.\n\nYou can run OpenClaw in a container and install the plugin there. This keeps its state in a local volume and passes your SerpApi key through environment variables.\n\n### Prerequisites\n\n- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/)\n- A SerpApi API key from [serpapi.com](https://serpapi.com/users/sign_up)\n- (Optional) [Ollama](https://ollama.com/download) - run local models for free instead of paid cloud APIs.\n\nHere is simple `docker-compose.yml` to run openclaw service.\n\n```\nservices:\n  openclaw:\n    image: ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:2026.9.7\n    container_name: openclaw\n    ports:\n      - \"127.0.0.1:18789:18789\"\n    environment:\n      - NODE_ENV=production\n      - OLLAMA_API_KEY=ollama-local\n      - OLLAMA_HOST=http://host.docker.internal:11434\n      - SERPAPI_API_KEY=${SERPAPI_KEY:-}\n      - OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_DIR=/workspace/plugins\n      - OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN:-}\n    volumes:\n      - ./openclaw-home:/home/node/.openclaw\n    security_opt:\n      - no-new-privileges:true\n    extra_hosts:\n      - \"host.docker.internal:host-gateway\"\n    stdin_open: true\n    tty: true\n```\n\nWe'll create `.env` file in the repo root to store environment variables and configuration values needed to run the project locally. Now let's generate token for OpenClaw Gateway:\n\n```\nopenssl rand -hex 32\n```\n\nPaste the output into the `.env` file in the repo root. It should look something like this:\n\n[create a free account](https://serpapi.com/users/sign_up)and get 250 credits each month. After signing up, you’ll find your API key in the\n\n[Dashboard](https://serpapi.com/dashboard).\n\nNow we are ready to the first start OpenClaw docker container:\n\n```\ndocker compose run --rm openclaw openclaw setup --baseline --non-interactive --accept-risk\ndocker compose up -d\n```\n\nWith a token set, the OpenClaw's browser UI usually pairs automatically - no manual approve step needed. Open [http://localhost:18789](http://localhost:18789), approve the device pairing request (if needed), then install the plugin inside the container:\n\n```\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw plugins install clawhub:@serpapi/openclaw-plugin\n\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw config set tools.web.search.provider serpapi\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw config set tools.web.search.enabled true --strict-json\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '[\"serpapi\"]'\n\ndocker compose restart\n```\n\nOpenClaw state persists in `./openclaw-home/` on the host.\n\n### Using open sources model (optional)\n\nTo use OpenClaw with open sources models we are going to do it with Ollama.\n\nThe `docker-compose.yml` file already points OpenClaw at Ollama on the host (`OLLAMA_HOST=http://host.docker.internal:11434`). Install Ollama, pull a model, then wire it up with one command:\n\n```\n# download model\nollama pull gemma4\n\n# tell openclaw to use ollama with gemma4 model\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw onboard --non-interactive --accept-risk --skip-health \\\n  --auth-choice ollama \\\n  --custom-base-url \"http://host.docker.internal:11434\" \\\n  --custom-model-id \"gemma4:latest\"\n\n# docker port forwarding\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw config set gateway.bind lan\n\n# restart openclaw if already running\ndocker compose restart\n```\n\nSwitch models anytime (use a name from `ollama list`):\n\n```\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw models set ollama/gemma4:latest\n```\n\nVerify:\n\n```\ndocker exec -it openclaw openclaw models status\n```\n\nThat’s it. OpenClaw is now running locally with Ollama, and everything is working together. Now you can open dashboard in your browser [http://localhost:18789/](http://localhost:18789/n) and start new chat session.\n\n## Use and Test the Plugin in OpenClaw\n\n### Use case 1: Compare product prices across stores.\n\nOpenClaw can turn that into several focused shopping searches, compare offers across Google Shopping, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, separate the Standard, Digital, and Pro editions, then combine the results into a price comparison with store names, conditions, seller ratings, and direct links.\n\nStart with a prompt as short as:\n\nFind the best price for the Sony PlayStation 5\n\nFor a more repeatable briefing, give OpenClaw a little more direction:\n\nFind the best price for the Sony PlayStation 5. Check Google Shopping, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay separately, compare only new offers, and return a table sorted by price with store, condition, rating, and a link to each deal.\n\nThis is where an agent-native search integration becomes useful: OpenClaw can run more than one query, refine its search as it learns, and organize the results around the task instead of returning a single page of links.\n\n### Use case 2: Planning a trip\n\nA local search can be just as simple:\n\nFind cheap weekend trip from Warsaw, Poland\n\nIn this case, OpenClaw ran a single general web search with no follow-up queries. The results were mixed: they included long-haul, expensive routes such as Chicago and Svalbard, which don't suit a cheap weekend. OpenClaw dropped them and pointed to options closer to home, like Kraków and the Gdańsk/Sopot coast, reachable by train, bus, or car. It added a few money-saving tips (overnight trains, hostels, regional rail passes).\n\nNow let's ask more specific question:\n\nCompare at least 5 destinations, pick the cheapest Fri–Sun flights, add a well-rated hotel under €150/night, and return total cost per trip with booking links.\n\nAs we can see, OpenClaw now uses a wider range of tools to find hotels and flights.\n\n### More prompt ideas\n\nTry these prompts for the remaining search paths:\n\n- **Web+Finances:** \"Give me a quick brief on Nvidia before earnings.\"\n- **News+Scholar:** \"Is it true that coffee reduces risk of Alzheimer's?\"\n- **Maps:** \"Find a restaurant in Kyiv for a team dinner of 4 people.\"\n- **Jobs:** \"What remote Rust jobs are hiring right now?\"\n- **YouTube:** \"Find the best videos to learn Kubernetes from scratch.\"\n\nTogether, these prompts work as quick smoke tests after installation. OpenClaw should use `web_search` for general research and the dedicated SerpApi tools for their respective requests. Search results change over time, so verify the tool selected and the shape of the response rather than expecting the same listings on every run.\n\n1. The plugin was installed and the gateway was restarted.\n\n2.\n\n`serpapi` is enabled in `openclaw plugins list`.\n3.\n\n`SERPAPI_API_KEY` is available to the OpenClaw process and SerpApi is selected as the web search provider.\n4. Make sure all SerpApi tools are turned on in the plugin settings.\n\n## How It Works\n\nThe ClawHub package registers with OpenClaw at gateway startup. When OpenClaw discovers and enables the plugin, it:\n\n1. Registers SerpApi as a `web_search` provider backed by Google Light.\n2. Registers specialized tools with schemas that describe their supported inputs.\n3. Selects the corresponding SerpApi engine and validates the request.\n4. Converts the API response into a compact, predictable result for the agent.\n\nThis keeps the integration native to OpenClaw while preserving the structured search data that makes SerpApi useful for agent workflows. The plugin targets `openclaw >= 2026.6.11` and imports the plugin SDK from the `openclaw/plugin-sdk/*` subpaths.\n\n## What's Next\n\nThe SerpApi plugin for OpenClaw is available now on [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/serpapi/plugins/openclaw-plugin), and its source code is open on [GitHub](https://github.com/serpapi/serpapi-openclaw-plugin).\n\nIf you find a bug or have an idea for another OpenClaw-native search capability, open an issue or pull request in the repository. If you have not tried SerpApi yet, [create an account](https://serpapi.com/users/sign_up) and give OpenClaw live search data in a few minutes.\n\n[contact@serpapi.com]or chat with us at\n\n[https://serpapi.com](https://serpapi.com).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin", "canonical_source": "https://serpapi.com/blog/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin/", "published_at": "2026-10-06 09:50:02+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-06 10:19:54.477986+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "developer-tools", "ai-search", "agent-protocols"], "entities": ["SerpApi", "OpenClaw", "ClawHub", "Google Light", "Google Scholar", "Amazon", "eBay", "Walmart"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/introducing-serpapis-openclaw-agent-plugin.jsonld"}}