Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

In OpenClaw 2026.5.2, agent web_search can fail to use the configured Brave provider even when:

• tools.web.search.provider is set to brave
• the Brave plugin/package is installed
• direct runtime/provider resolution can call Brave successfully

In the observed failure, the first-class agent web_search tool did not use Brave and instead attempted a stale/different provider path, returning a Gemini credential error:

provider "gemini" returned missing_gemini_api_key

This is related to but not identical to #76626. #76626 covers the web_search is disabled or no provider is available split between CLI/provider registry and agent registry, and is now closed. The case here is a selected-provider mismatch/stale runtime metadata problem: configured Brave was bypassed and agent web_search attempted Gemini.

Steps to reproduce

Observed on a macOS OpenClaw install after upgrading to 2026.5.2 and repairing externalized plugins:

1. Configure Brave search:

{
  "tools": {
    "web": {
      "search": {
        "provider": "brave"
      }
    }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "brave": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "webSearch": {
            "apiKey": "<redacted>"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Install/enable @openclaw/[email protected].
3. In an agent turn, call first-class web_search.
4. Instead of using Brave, the tool fails through Gemini:

provider "gemini" returned missing_gemini_api_key

5. Direct runtime-level OpenClaw web search resolution using the same config can resolve and call Brave successfully.
6. A later fresh agent turn after reinstalling all external plugins together and doing a real Gateway restart resolves correctly as Brave again.

Expected behavior

When tools.web.search.provider = "brave", the agent web_search tool should always use Brave unless Brave is unavailable and a documented fallback path is selected.

It should not silently route to Gemini or reuse stale runtime web-search metadata from a previous turn/session.

Actual behavior

Agent web_search bypassed configured Brave and attempted Gemini, producing:

provider "gemini" returned missing_gemini_api_key

This made web_search unusable even though Brave itself was configured and direct/runtime-level Brave resolution worked.

OpenClaw version

2026.5.2 (8b2a6e5)

Operating system

macOS Darwin 25.3.0 arm64

Install method

Homebrew/global npm OpenClaw install; upgrade via openclaw update

Model

Observed in an agent session using openai-codex/gpt-5.5

Provider / routing chain

Configured web search provider: brave

Unexpected attempted provider: gemini

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Observed failure:

[tools] web_search failed: provider "gemini" returned missing_gemini_api_key

Observed direct/runtime provider resolution after checking config:

providerConfigured=brave
selectedProvider=brave
selectedProviderKeySource=config
runWebSearch returned provider=brave / result.provider=brave

Current first-class web_search later recovered after a real restart and external-plugin repair:

web_search metadata: provider=brave

Impact and severity

High for users relying on agent/cron web_search. The configured provider can be Brave, but the actual agent tool path can become unusable due to stale or incorrect provider selection.

Additional information

Related issues:

• Agent web_search cannot see configured Brave provider while CLI web search works #76626 — agent web_search cannot see configured Brave provider while CLI web search works. Similar area, but this report is about configured Brave being bypassed in favor of Gemini/stale runtime provider metadata.
• [Bug]: 2026.5.2 external plugin sandbox ping-pong: restoring Brave can remove Feishu, restoring Feishu can break Brave #76959 — external plugin sandbox ping-pong involving Brave and Feishu. The failure here was observed while recovering from that 2026.5.2 external-plugin state, but the user-facing symptom deserves independent tracking because it directly breaks web_search provider routing.