Lesson 4. Assistant Tools#

Why you need this#

An AI model by itself can only generate text. But thanks to tools, your OpenClaw assistant can run commands on the computer, search the internet, control a browser, read and create files. Tools turn the assistant from a “talking head” into a real helper that takes action.

What tools are available#

🖥️ exec — running commands#

What it does: runs commands in the terminal (command line) of your computer.

Usage examples:

• “Show how much free disk space there is”
• “Create a folder for the project”
• “Run the data processing script”

How it looks in action:

You message the assistant: “What’s the current date and time on the server?”

The assistant runs the date command and shows the result.

Important parameters:

• command — the command to run (required)
• timeout — maximum execution time (default 30 minutes)
• background — run in the background (don’t wait for completion)

About security: by default, commands run in an isolated environment (sandbox). This protects your system from accidental errors.

🔍 web_search — internet search#

What it does: searches for information on the internet through the Brave Search engine.

Usage examples:

• “Find the current dollar exchange rate”
• “What’s the weather tomorrow in New York?”
• “Find a recipe for lasagna”

How to set up:

You need a free API key from Brave Search:

openclaw configure --section web

Or in the configuration file:

{
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {
        enabled: true,
        // The key is best stored in the BRAVE_API_KEY environment variable
      }
    }
  }
}

Search parameters:

• query — search query
• count — number of results (from 1 to 10)

📄 web_fetch — loading web pages#

What it does: opens a web page and extracts readable text from it (removes ads, menus, and other “junk”).

Usage examples:

• “Read this article and make a summary” (with a link)
• “What’s on the homepage of this website?”

Parameters:

• url — page address
• extractMode — extraction format: markdown (default) or text
• maxChars — maximum number of characters (for long pages)

Limitation: web_fetch doesn’t execute JavaScript. If a website loads dynamically (e.g., a single-page application), it’s better to use the browser.

🌐 browser — browser control#

What it does: opens a real browser and can interact with it — click buttons, fill out forms, take screenshots.

Usage examples:

• “Open the website and take a screenshot”
• “Go to the website, fill out the form, and click submit”
• “Check the order status on the store’s website”

Main browser actions:

How browser automation works:

1. The assistant takes a snapshot — gets a list of elements on the page
2. Finds the needed element (button, input field)
3. Performs act — clicks or types text
4. Checks the result with a new snapshot or screenshot

📁 Working with files: read, write, edit#

read — read a file’s contents write — create or overwrite a file edit — make precise changes to a file

Examples:

• “Read the file report.txt”
• “Create a file with a task list”
• “Replace the word ‘draft’ with ‘final version’ in the document”

📨 message — sending messages#

What it does: sends messages to messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, and others).

Examples:

• “Send a message to the Telegram group”
• “Create a poll in Discord”

How to manage tools#

Disabling unnecessary tools#

If you want to prevent the assistant from using certain tools:

{
  tools: {
    deny: ["browser"]     // block the browser
  }
}

Tool profiles#

For quick setup, there are ready-made profiles:

Example — only for messaging:

{
  tools: {
    profile: "messaging"
  }
}

Tool groups#

For convenience, tools are organized into groups:

Example — allow only files and browser:

{
  tools: {
    allow: ["group:fs", "browser"]
  }
}

Practical example#

Say you ask the assistant: “Search the internet for the euro to dollar exchange rate and write it to a file.”

The assistant will perform a chain of actions:

1. web_search — find the current rate
2. write — create a file with the result

This all happens automatically — you just describe the task in plain language.

Lesson summary#

• Tools are the assistant’s abilities to act in the real world
• exec — runs commands on the computer
• web_search — searches the internet (requires Brave Search key)
• web_fetch — loads and extracts text from web pages
• browser — controls a real browser
• read/write/edit — working with files
• message — sending messages to messengers
• Tools can be enabled, disabled, and grouped through settings
• The assistant automatically chooses the right tools for your task

Next lesson: Skills