Set up Bright Data with OpenClaw

Give your OpenClaw AI agent real-time web search, bot-bypass scraping, browser automation, and 50+ structured data tools powered by Bright Data.

Account management is not a supported use case on the Bright Data platform as of April 1, 2026. This includes managing accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or similar services. Bright Data proxies cannot be used for this purpose. See Acceptable Use Policy for details.

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OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI assistant gateway that connects messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and iMessage to AI coding agents. It features a plugin system that lets you extend your agent with new tools and capabilities.

The Bright Data plugin for OpenClaw brings the full power of Bright Data’s web data infrastructure directly into your OpenClaw agent. Install once, and your agent gains:

• Real-time web search via Google, Bing, and Yandex with geo-targeting
• Bot-bypass scraping through Web Unlocker, which handles CAPTCHAs, JS rendering, and rate limits automatically
• Full browser automation via a real Chromium instance routed through Bright Data’s residential proxy network
• 50+ structured data tools for Amazon, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and more

The plugin registers 66 tools across five categories: search, scrape, batch operations, browser automation, and structured web data.

Steps to Get Started

1. Prerequisites

   • OpenClaw installed and running
   • A Bright Data account with an API key
   • Node.js 22+ (managed by OpenClaw)
2. Obtain Your Bright Data API Key

   • Log in to your Bright Data dashboard.
   • Go to Account Settings.
   • Generate an API key if you haven’t already done so.
3. Install the Bright Data Plugin

   Install the plugin using the OpenClaw CLI:

   openclaw plugins install @brightdata/brightdata-plugin
   

   Verify the installation:

   openclaw plugins inspect brightdata
   

   You should see the plugin ID brightdata along with all registered tools.

4. Configure Your API Key

   Choose one of the following methods to provide your Bright Data API key:

   Environment Variable (recommended for local dev)

   export BRIGHTDATA_API_TOKEN=your_token_here
   

   OpenClaw Config (recommended for persistent setups)

   openclaw config set plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.apiKey your_token_here
   

   The plugin automatically creates two proxy zones on first use: mcp_unlocker (Web Unlocker) and mcp_browser (Browser API). No manual zone setup is required.

   To use existing zones instead:

   export BRIGHTDATA_UNLOCKER_ZONE=my_existing_zone
   export BRIGHTDATA_BROWSER_ZONE=my_existing_browser_zone
   
5. Enable the Plugin

   Enable the plugin and restart the gateway:

   openclaw plugins enable brightdata
   openclaw gateway restart
   

   If the plugin tools are not being exposed to your agent, you may need to explicitly allow plugin tools:

   openclaw config set tools.alsoAllow '["group:plugins"]'
   
6. Start Using the Tools

   Your OpenClaw agent now has access to all 66 Bright Data tools. Try these example prompts:

   Search the web

   Use the brightdata_search tool to search for "latest AI news" and return the top 5 results.
   

   Scrape a webpage

   Use the brightdata_scrape tool on https://example.com and summarize the page in 3 bullets.
   

   Automate a browser

   Use brightdata_browser_navigate to open https://example.com, then use brightdata_browser_get_text to return the visible page text.
   

   Get structured data

   Use brightdata_amazon_product to get details for https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2Q9397Y
   

Available Tools

How to search the web

Tool	Description
brightdata_search	Search Google, Bing, or Yandex with geo-targeting. Returns structured results with pagination support.
brightdata_search_batch	Run up to 5 search queries in parallel. Partial failures are returned inline.

Parameters for brightdata_search:

Parameter	Type	Description
query	string	Required. Search query
engine	"google" | "bing" | "yandex"	Search engine (default: google)
count	number	Results to return, 1-10
cursor	string	Pagination cursor for next page
geo_location	string	2-letter ISO country code (e.g. us, de)

Scrape

Tool	Description
brightdata_scrape	Fetch any page through Web Unlocker. Works on bot-protected sites, JS-rendered pages, and geo-restricted content.
brightdata_scrape_batch	Scrape up to 5 URLs in parallel with the same extraction options.

Parameters for brightdata_scrape:

Parameter	Type	Description
url	string	Required. HTTP/HTTPS URL to scrape
extractMode	"markdown" | "text" | "html"	Output format (default: markdown)
maxChars	number	Maximum characters to return (min: 100)

How to automate the browser

Full Chromium browser control routed through Bright Data’s residential proxy network. Sessions idle-timeout after 10 minutes.

Tool	Description
brightdata_browser_navigate	Navigate to a URL with optional country routing
brightdata_browser_snapshot	Capture an ARIA snapshot with interactive element refs
brightdata_browser_click	Click an element by its snapshot ref
brightdata_browser_type	Type into a field by ref (optional Enter to submit)
brightdata_browser_fill_form	Fill multiple form fields in a single operation
brightdata_browser_screenshot	Take a viewport or full-page screenshot
brightdata_browser_get_html	Get current page HTML
brightdata_browser_get_text	Get current page text content
brightdata_browser_scroll	Scroll to the bottom of the page
brightdata_browser_scroll_to	Scroll to a specific element by ref
brightdata_browser_wait_for	Wait for an element to become visible
brightdata_browser_network_requests	List network requests since page load
brightdata_browser_go_back	Navigate back
brightdata_browser_go_forward	Navigate forward

Structured Web Data (50+ Platforms)

Each tool accepts a url or keyword and returns clean, typed JSON. No scraping or parsing required.

E-commerce (10 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_amazon_product	Product details, pricing, specs
brightdata_amazon_product_reviews	Customer reviews and ratings
brightdata_amazon_product_search	Search results with rankings
brightdata_walmart_product	Product details and availability
brightdata_walmart_seller	Seller profile and metrics
brightdata_ebay_product	Listing details and bids
brightdata_homedepot_products	Product catalog and pricing
brightdata_zara_products	Fashion catalog data
brightdata_etsy_products	Handmade and vintage listings
brightdata_bestbuy_products	Electronics catalog and deals

Professional Networks (7 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_linkedin_person_profile	Full person profile
brightdata_linkedin_company_profile	Company overview and stats
brightdata_linkedin_job_listings	Open positions with details
brightdata_linkedin_posts	Post content and engagement
brightdata_linkedin_people_search	People search results
brightdata_crunchbase_company	Funding, investors, founders
brightdata_zoominfo_company_profile	Company intelligence data

Social Media (17 tools)

Instagram

Tool	Data
brightdata_instagram_profiles	Profile stats and bio
brightdata_instagram_posts	Post content and engagement
brightdata_instagram_reels	Reel metadata and views
brightdata_instagram_comments	Comment threads

Facebook

Tool	Data
brightdata_facebook_posts	Post content and reactions
brightdata_facebook_marketplace_listings	Marketplace items
brightdata_facebook_company_reviews	Page reviews and ratings
brightdata_facebook_events	Event details and attendance

TikTok

Tool	Data
brightdata_tiktok_profiles	Creator profile and stats
brightdata_tiktok_posts	Video content and metrics
brightdata_tiktok_shop	TikTok Shop product data
brightdata_tiktok_comments	Comment threads

X (Twitter)

Tool	Data
brightdata_x_posts	Post content and metrics
brightdata_x_profile_posts	Profile post history

YouTube & Reddit

Tool	Data
brightdata_youtube_profiles	Channel stats and info
brightdata_youtube_videos	Video details and metrics
brightdata_youtube_comments	Comment threads
brightdata_reddit_posts	Post content and scores

Maps, Shopping & Apps (4 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_google_maps_reviews	Location reviews and ratings
brightdata_google_shopping	Shopping results and prices
brightdata_google_play_store	App details and reviews
brightdata_apple_app_store	App details and reviews

Finance, News & Code (3 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_yahoo_finance_business	Company financials and news
brightdata_github_repository_file	Repository file contents

Real Estate & Travel (2 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_zillow_properties_listing	Property listings and estimates
brightdata_booking_hotel_listings	Hotel listings and pricing

AI Insights (3 tools)

Tool	Data
brightdata_chatgpt_ai_insights	ChatGPT responses
brightdata_grok_ai_insights	Grok responses
brightdata_perplexity_ai_insights	Perplexity responses

Web Search Provider Integration

The plugin also registers as an OpenClaw web search provider. To set Bright Data as your default search provider:

openclaw config set tools.web.search.provider brightdata

Once set, any generic web search your agent performs will route through Bright Data’s search infrastructure.

Which settings to configure

All settings can be provided via environment variable or OpenClaw config. Environment variables take priority.

Setting	Environment Variable	OpenClaw Config Path	Default
API Key	BRIGHTDATA_API_TOKEN	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.apiKey	required
Base URL	BRIGHTDATA_BASE_URL	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.baseUrl	https://api.brightdata.com
Unlocker Zone	BRIGHTDATA_UNLOCKER_ZONE	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.unlockerZone	mcp_unlocker
Browser Zone	BRIGHTDATA_BROWSER_ZONE	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.browserZone	mcp_browser
Request Timeout	-	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.timeoutSeconds	30s search / 60s scrape
Polling Timeout	-	plugins.entries.brightdata.config.webSearch.pollingTimeoutSeconds	600s

How to manage the plugin

# Verify installation and loaded tools
openclaw plugins inspect brightdata

# Update to latest version
openclaw plugins update brightdata

# Temporarily disable
openclaw plugins disable brightdata

# Re-enable
openclaw plugins enable brightdata

# Uninstall
openclaw plugins uninstall brightdata

Troubleshooting

Plugin not found after install

• Run openclaw plugins list to verify the plugin is installed.
• Check that the plugin ID is brightdata with openclaw plugins inspect brightdata.
• Run openclaw plugins doctor for diagnostic information.

Tools not registering

• Ensure the plugin is enabled: openclaw plugins enable brightdata.
• Restart the gateway: openclaw gateway restart.

Authentication errors

• Verify your API key is set correctly via env var or config.
• Check that the token has not expired in your Bright Data dashboard.

Zone creation failures

• The plugin auto-creates mcp_unlocker and mcp_browser zones on first use.
• If auto-creation fails, create the zones manually in your Bright Data dashboard and set them via environment variables.

Where to learn more

• OpenClaw Documentation
• OpenClaw Plugin CLI Reference
• Bright Data API Documentation
• Plugin Source Code on GitHub