alphabetize web search providers (#40259)

Merged via squash.

Prepared head SHA: be6350e5ae1c0610f813483dca0a5c98813a7f8e
Co-authored-by: kesku <62210496+kesku@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: obviyus <22031114+obviyus@users.noreply.github.com>
Reviewed-by: @obviyus

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 - CLI/backup: add `openclaw backup create` and `openclaw backup verify` for local state archives, including `--only-config`, `--no-include-workspace`, manifest/payload validation, and backup guidance in destructive flows. (#40163) thanks @shichangs.
 - CLI/backup: improve archive naming for date sorting, add config-only backup mode, and harden backup planning, publication, and verification edge cases. (#40163) Thanks @gumadeiras.
 - ACP/Provenance: add optional ACP ingress provenance metadata and visible receipt injection (`openclaw acp --provenance off|meta|meta+receipt`) so OpenClaw agents can retain and report ACP-origin context with session trace IDs. (#40473) thanks @mbelinky.
+- Tools/web search: alphabetize provider ordering across runtime selection, onboarding/configure pickers, and config metadata, so provider lists stay neutral and multi-key auto-detect now prefers Grok before Kimi. (#40259) thanks @kesku.
 
 ### Breaking
 

docs/tools/web.md

@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ The table above is alphabetical. If no `provider` is explicitly set, runtime aut
 
 1. **Brave** — `BRAVE_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.apiKey` config
 2. **Gemini** — `GEMINI_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.gemini.apiKey` config
-3. **Kimi** — `KIMI_API_KEY` / `MOONSHOT_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.kimi.apiKey` config
+3. **Grok** — `XAI_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.grok.apiKey` config
-4. **Perplexity** — `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`, `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, or `tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey` config
+4. **Kimi** — `KIMI_API_KEY` / `MOONSHOT_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.kimi.apiKey` config
-5. **Grok** — `XAI_API_KEY` env var or `tools.web.search.grok.apiKey` config
+5. **Perplexity** — `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`, `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, or `tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey` config
 
 If no keys are found, it falls back to Brave (you'll get a missing-key error prompting you to configure one).
 
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ Search the web using your configured provider.
 - `tools.web.search.enabled` must not be `false` (default: enabled)
 - API key for your chosen provider:
   - **Brave**: `BRAVE_API_KEY` or `tools.web.search.apiKey`
-  - **Perplexity**: `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`, `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, or `tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey`
   - **Gemini**: `GEMINI_API_KEY` or `tools.web.search.gemini.apiKey`
   - **Grok**: `XAI_API_KEY` or `tools.web.search.grok.apiKey`
   - **Kimi**: `KIMI_API_KEY`, `MOONSHOT_API_KEY`, or `tools.web.search.kimi.apiKey`
+  - **Perplexity**: `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`, `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, or `tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey`
 
 ### Config
 

src/agents/tools/web-search.ts

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
   writeCache,
 } from "./web-shared.js";
 
-const SEARCH_PROVIDERS = ["brave", "perplexity", "grok", "gemini", "kimi"] as const;
+const SEARCH_PROVIDERS = ["brave", "gemini", "grok", "kimi", "perplexity"] as const;
 const DEFAULT_SEARCH_COUNT = 5;
 const MAX_SEARCH_COUNT = 10;
 
@@ -492,19 +492,10 @@ function resolveSearchApiKey(search?: WebSearchConfig): string | undefined {
 }
 
 function missingSearchKeyPayload(provider: (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDERS)[number]) {
-  if (provider === "perplexity") {
+  if (provider === "brave") {
     return {
-      error: "missing_perplexity_api_key",
+      error: "missing_brave_api_key",
-      message:
+      message: `web_search (brave) needs a Brave Search API key. Run \`${formatCliCommand("openclaw configure --section web")}\` to store it, or set BRAVE_API_KEY in the Gateway environment.`,
-        "web_search (perplexity) needs an API key. Set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY or OPENROUTER_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey.",
-      docs: "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web",
-    };
-  }
-  if (provider === "grok") {
-    return {
-      error: "missing_xai_api_key",
-      message:
-        "web_search (grok) needs an xAI API key. Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure tools.web.search.grok.apiKey.",
       docs: "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web",
     };
   }
@@ -516,6 +507,14 @@ function missingSearchKeyPayload(provider: (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDERS)[number]) {
       docs: "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web",
     };
   }
+  if (provider === "grok") {
+    return {
+      error: "missing_xai_api_key",
+      message:
+        "web_search (grok) needs an xAI API key. Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure tools.web.search.grok.apiKey.",
+      docs: "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web",
+    };
+  }
   if (provider === "kimi") {
     return {
       error: "missing_kimi_api_key",
@@ -525,8 +524,9 @@ function missingSearchKeyPayload(provider: (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDERS)[number]) {
     };
   }
   return {
-    error: "missing_brave_api_key",
+    error: "missing_perplexity_api_key",
-    message: `web_search needs a Brave Search API key. Run \`${formatCliCommand("openclaw configure --section web")}\` to store it, or set BRAVE_API_KEY in the Gateway environment.`,
+    message:
+      "web_search (perplexity) needs an API key. Set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY or OPENROUTER_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey.",
     docs: "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/web",
   };
 }
@@ -536,32 +536,32 @@ function resolveSearchProvider(search?: WebSearchConfig): (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDE
     search && "provider" in search && typeof search.provider === "string"
       ? search.provider.trim().toLowerCase()
       : "";
-  if (raw === "perplexity") {
+  if (raw === "brave") {
-    return "perplexity";
+    return "brave";
-  }
-  if (raw === "grok") {
-    return "grok";
   }
   if (raw === "gemini") {
     return "gemini";
   }
+  if (raw === "grok") {
+    return "grok";
+  }
   if (raw === "kimi") {
     return "kimi";
   }
-  if (raw === "brave") {
+  if (raw === "perplexity") {
-    return "brave";
+    return "perplexity";
   }
 
-  // Auto-detect provider from available API keys (priority order)
+  // Auto-detect provider from available API keys (alphabetical order)
   if (raw === "") {
-    // 1. Brave
+    // Brave
     if (resolveSearchApiKey(search)) {
       logVerbose(
         'web_search: no provider configured, auto-detected "brave" from available API keys',
       );
       return "brave";
     }
-    // 2. Gemini
+    // Gemini
     const geminiConfig = resolveGeminiConfig(search);
     if (resolveGeminiApiKey(geminiConfig)) {
       logVerbose(
@@ -569,7 +569,15 @@ function resolveSearchProvider(search?: WebSearchConfig): (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDE
       );
       return "gemini";
     }
-    // 3. Kimi
+    // Grok
+    const grokConfig = resolveGrokConfig(search);
+    if (resolveGrokApiKey(grokConfig)) {
+      logVerbose(
+        'web_search: no provider configured, auto-detected "grok" from available API keys',
+      );
+      return "grok";
+    }
+    // Kimi
     const kimiConfig = resolveKimiConfig(search);
     if (resolveKimiApiKey(kimiConfig)) {
       logVerbose(
@@ -577,7 +585,7 @@ function resolveSearchProvider(search?: WebSearchConfig): (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDE
       );
       return "kimi";
     }
-    // 4. Perplexity
+    // Perplexity
     const perplexityConfig = resolvePerplexityConfig(search);
     const { apiKey: perplexityKey } = resolvePerplexityApiKey(perplexityConfig);
     if (perplexityKey) {
@@ -586,14 +594,6 @@ function resolveSearchProvider(search?: WebSearchConfig): (typeof SEARCH_PROVIDE
       );
       return "perplexity";
     }
-    // 5. Grok
-    const grokConfig = resolveGrokConfig(search);
-    if (resolveGrokApiKey(grokConfig)) {
-      logVerbose(
-        'web_search: no provider configured, auto-detected "grok" from available API keys',
-      );
-      return "grok";
-    }
   }
 
   return "brave";

src/commands/configure.wizard.ts

@@ -188,7 +188,10 @@ async function promptWebToolsConfig(
     if (stored && SEARCH_PROVIDER_OPTIONS.some((e) => e.value === stored)) {
       return stored;
     }
-    return SEARCH_PROVIDER_OPTIONS.find((e) => hasKeyForProvider(e.value))?.value ?? "brave";
+    return (
+      SEARCH_PROVIDER_OPTIONS.find((e) => hasKeyForProvider(e.value))?.value ??
+      SEARCH_PROVIDER_OPTIONS[0].value
+    );
   })();
 
   note(

src/commands/onboard-search.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type { RuntimeEnv } from "../runtime.js";
 import type { WizardPrompter } from "../wizard/prompts.js";
 import type { SecretInputMode } from "./onboard-types.js";
 
-export type SearchProvider = "perplexity" | "brave" | "gemini" | "grok" | "kimi";
+export type SearchProvider = "brave" | "gemini" | "grok" | "kimi" | "perplexity";
 
 type SearchProviderEntry = {
   value: SearchProvider;
@@ -73,14 +73,14 @@ function rawKeyValue(config: OpenClawConfig, provider: SearchProvider): unknown
   switch (provider) {
     case "brave":
       return search?.apiKey;
-    case "perplexity":
-      return search?.perplexity?.apiKey;
     case "gemini":
       return search?.gemini?.apiKey;
     case "grok":
       return search?.grok?.apiKey;
     case "kimi":
       return search?.kimi?.apiKey;
+    case "perplexity":
+      return search?.perplexity?.apiKey;
   }
 }
 
@@ -132,9 +132,6 @@ export function applySearchKey(
     case "brave":
       search.apiKey = key;
       break;
-    case "perplexity":
-      search.perplexity = { ...search.perplexity, apiKey: key };
-      break;
     case "gemini":
       search.gemini = { ...search.gemini, apiKey: key };
       break;
@@ -144,6 +141,9 @@ export function applySearchKey(
     case "kimi":
       search.kimi = { ...search.kimi, apiKey: key };
       break;
+    case "perplexity":
+      search.perplexity = { ...search.perplexity, apiKey: key };
+      break;
   }
   return {
     ...config,
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ export async function setupSearch(
     if (detected) {
       return detected.value;
     }
-    return "brave";
+    return SEARCH_PROVIDER_OPTIONS[0].value;
   })();
 
   type PickerValue = SearchProvider | "__skip__";

src/config/config.web-search-provider.test.ts

@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ describe("web search provider auto-detection", () => {
     expect(resolveSearchProvider({})).toBe("kimi");
   });
 
-  it("follows priority order — brave wins when multiple keys available", () => {
+  it("follows alphabetical order — brave wins when multiple keys available", () => {
     process.env.BRAVE_API_KEY = "test-brave-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY = "test-gemini-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY = "test-perplexity-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
@@ -150,18 +150,18 @@ describe("web search provider auto-detection", () => {
     expect(resolveSearchProvider({})).toBe("brave");
   });
 
-  it("gemini wins over perplexity and grok when brave unavailable", () => {
+  it("gemini wins over grok, kimi, and perplexity when brave unavailable", () => {
     process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY = "test-gemini-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY = "test-perplexity-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     process.env.XAI_API_KEY = "test-xai-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     expect(resolveSearchProvider({})).toBe("gemini");
   });
 
-  it("brave wins over gemini and grok when perplexity unavailable", () => {
+  it("grok wins over kimi and perplexity when brave and gemini unavailable", () => {
-    process.env.BRAVE_API_KEY = "test-brave-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
-    process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY = "test-gemini-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
     process.env.XAI_API_KEY = "test-xai-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
-    expect(resolveSearchProvider({})).toBe("brave");
+    process.env.KIMI_API_KEY = "test-kimi-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
+    process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY = "test-perplexity-key"; // pragma: allowlist secret
+    expect(resolveSearchProvider({})).toBe("grok");
   });
 
   it("explicit provider always wins regardless of keys", () => {

src/config/schema.help.ts

@@ -649,11 +649,13 @@ export const FIELD_HELP: Record<string, string> = {
   "tools.message.broadcast.enabled": "Enable broadcast action (default: true).",
   "tools.web.search.enabled": "Enable the web_search tool (requires a provider API key).",
   "tools.web.search.provider":
-    'Search provider ("brave", "perplexity", "grok", "gemini", or "kimi"). Auto-detected from available API keys if omitted.',
+    'Search provider ("brave", "gemini", "grok", "kimi", or "perplexity"). Auto-detected from available API keys if omitted.',
   "tools.web.search.apiKey": "Brave Search API key (fallback: BRAVE_API_KEY env var).",
-  "tools.web.search.maxResults": "Default number of results to return (1-10).",
+  "tools.web.search.maxResults": "Number of results to return (1-10).",
   "tools.web.search.timeoutSeconds": "Timeout in seconds for web_search requests.",
   "tools.web.search.cacheTtlMinutes": "Cache TTL in minutes for web_search results.",
+  "tools.web.search.brave.mode":
+    'Brave Search mode: "web" (URL results) or "llm-context" (pre-extracted page content for LLM grounding).',
   "tools.web.search.gemini.apiKey":
     "Gemini API key for Google Search grounding (fallback: GEMINI_API_KEY env var).",
   "tools.web.search.gemini.model": 'Gemini model override (default: "gemini-2.5-flash").',
@@ -670,8 +672,6 @@ export const FIELD_HELP: Record<string, string> = {
     "Optional Perplexity/OpenRouter chat-completions base URL override. Setting this opts Perplexity into the legacy Sonar/OpenRouter compatibility path.",
   "tools.web.search.perplexity.model":
     'Optional Sonar/OpenRouter model override (default: "perplexity/sonar-pro"). Setting this opts Perplexity into the legacy chat-completions compatibility path.',
-  "tools.web.search.brave.mode":
-    'Brave Search mode: "web" (URL results) or "llm-context" (pre-extracted page content for LLM grounding).',
   "tools.web.fetch.enabled": "Enable the web_fetch tool (lightweight HTTP fetch).",
   "tools.web.fetch.maxChars": "Max characters returned by web_fetch (truncated).",
   "tools.web.fetch.maxCharsCap":

src/config/schema.labels.ts

@@ -218,17 +218,17 @@ export const FIELD_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
   "tools.web.search.maxResults": "Web Search Max Results",
   "tools.web.search.timeoutSeconds": "Web Search Timeout (sec)",
   "tools.web.search.cacheTtlMinutes": "Web Search Cache TTL (min)",
-  "tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey": "Perplexity API Key", // pragma: allowlist secret
+  "tools.web.search.brave.mode": "Brave Search Mode",
-  "tools.web.search.perplexity.baseUrl": "Perplexity Base URL",
-  "tools.web.search.perplexity.model": "Perplexity Model",
   "tools.web.search.gemini.apiKey": "Gemini Search API Key", // pragma: allowlist secret
   "tools.web.search.gemini.model": "Gemini Search Model",
   "tools.web.search.grok.apiKey": "Grok Search API Key", // pragma: allowlist secret
   "tools.web.search.grok.model": "Grok Search Model",
-  "tools.web.search.brave.mode": "Brave Search Mode",
   "tools.web.search.kimi.apiKey": "Kimi Search API Key", // pragma: allowlist secret
   "tools.web.search.kimi.baseUrl": "Kimi Search Base URL",
   "tools.web.search.kimi.model": "Kimi Search Model",
+  "tools.web.search.perplexity.apiKey": "Perplexity API Key", // pragma: allowlist secret
+  "tools.web.search.perplexity.baseUrl": "Perplexity Base URL",
+  "tools.web.search.perplexity.model": "Perplexity Model",
   "tools.web.fetch.enabled": "Enable Web Fetch Tool",
   "tools.web.fetch.maxChars": "Web Fetch Max Chars",
   "tools.web.fetch.maxCharsCap": "Web Fetch Hard Max Chars",

src/config/types.tools.ts

@@ -441,8 +441,8 @@ export type ToolsConfig = {
     search?: {
       /** Enable web search tool (default: true when API key is present). */
       enabled?: boolean;
-      /** Search provider ("brave", "perplexity", "grok", "gemini", or "kimi"). */
+      /** Search provider ("brave", "gemini", "grok", "kimi", or "perplexity"). */
-      provider?: "brave" | "perplexity" | "grok" | "gemini" | "kimi";
+      provider?: "brave" | "gemini" | "grok" | "kimi" | "perplexity";
       /** Brave Search API key (optional; defaults to BRAVE_API_KEY env var). */
       apiKey?: SecretInput;
       /** Default search results count (1-10). */
@@ -451,13 +451,16 @@ export type ToolsConfig = {
       timeoutSeconds?: number;
       /** Cache TTL in minutes for search results. */
       cacheTtlMinutes?: number;
-      /** Perplexity-specific configuration (used when provider="perplexity"). */
+      /** Brave-specific configuration (used when provider="brave"). */
-      perplexity?: {
+      brave?: {
-        /** API key for Perplexity (defaults to PERPLEXITY_API_KEY env var). */
+        /** Brave Search mode: "web" (standard results) or "llm-context" (pre-extracted page content). Default: "web". */
+        mode?: "web" | "llm-context";
+      };
+      /** Gemini-specific configuration (used when provider="gemini"). */
+      gemini?: {
+        /** Gemini API key (defaults to GEMINI_API_KEY env var). */
         apiKey?: SecretInput;
-        /** @deprecated Legacy Sonar/OpenRouter field. Ignored by Search API. */
+        /** Model to use for grounded search (defaults to "gemini-2.5-flash"). */
-        baseUrl?: string;
-        /** @deprecated Legacy Sonar/OpenRouter field. Ignored by Search API. */
         model?: string;
       };
       /** Grok-specific configuration (used when provider="grok"). */
@@ -469,13 +472,6 @@ export type ToolsConfig = {
         /** Include inline citations in response text as markdown links (default: false). */
         inlineCitations?: boolean;
       };
-      /** Gemini-specific configuration (used when provider="gemini"). */
-      gemini?: {
-        /** Gemini API key (defaults to GEMINI_API_KEY env var). */
-        apiKey?: SecretInput;
-        /** Model to use for grounded search (defaults to "gemini-2.5-flash"). */
-        model?: string;
-      };
       /** Kimi-specific configuration (used when provider="kimi"). */
       kimi?: {
         /** Moonshot/Kimi API key (defaults to KIMI_API_KEY or MOONSHOT_API_KEY env var). */
@@ -485,10 +481,14 @@ export type ToolsConfig = {
         /** Model to use (defaults to "moonshot-v1-128k"). */
         model?: string;
       };
-      /** Brave-specific configuration (used when provider="brave"). */
+      /** Perplexity-specific configuration (used when provider="perplexity"). */
-      brave?: {
+      perplexity?: {
-        /** Brave Search mode: "web" (standard results) or "llm-context" (pre-extracted page content). Default: "web". */
+        /** API key for Perplexity (defaults to PERPLEXITY_API_KEY env var). */
-        mode?: "web" | "llm-context";
+        apiKey?: SecretInput;
+        /** @deprecated Legacy Sonar/OpenRouter field. Ignored by Search API. */
+        baseUrl?: string;
+        /** @deprecated Legacy Sonar/OpenRouter field. Ignored by Search API. */
+        model?: string;
       };
     };
     fetch?: {