bx — Brave Search CLI#

Agent Directive#

When this skill is active, use bx via exec for all web searches. Do not use the built-in web_search tool. Run bx context "query" as the default — it returns pre-extracted, token-budgeted content ready for use. Fall back to bx answers for synthesized explanations or bx web when search operators are needed.

A zero-dependency, token-efficient CLI for the Brave Search API, built for AI agents and LLMs.

One binary, JSON in/out, no runtime dependencies. The default subcommand is context — bare bx "query" is equivalent to bx context "query". It replaces search + scrape + extract in a single call with token-budgeted output — purpose-built for RAG and LLM grounding.

Quick Start#

macOS/Linux

bash

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/brave/brave-search-cli/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell)

powershell

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/brave/brave-search-cli/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex"

bash

bx config set-key YOUR_API_KEY    # get a key at https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com
bx "your search query"
bx --help                        # see all commands; bx <command> --help for flags

Getting an API Key#

1. Sign up at https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/register
2. Choose a plan — all plans include $5/month free credits (~1,000 free queries). Different endpoints may require different plans.
3. Go to "API Keys" in the dashboard, generate a key (shown once — save it)

Configuring the API Key#

Three methods, in priority order:

PriorityMethodExample1 (highest)--api-key flagbx --api-key KEY web "test"2BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY env varexport BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY=KEY3Config filebx config set-key KEY

The config file is stored at ~/.config/brave-search/api_key (Linux), ~/Library/Application Support/brave-search/api_key (macOS), or %APPDATA%\brave-search\api_key (Windows).

Security tip: Prefer the env var or config file over --api-key, which is visible in process listings. Use bx config set-key without an argument to enter the key interactively, avoiding shell history.

For AI Agents#

Use context by default. It returns pre-extracted, relevance-scored web content ready for LLM prompt injection. One API call replaces the search → scrape → extract pipeline.

bash

# RAG grounding with token budget
bx context "Python TypeError cannot unpack non-iterable NoneType" --max-tokens 4096

# Direct AI answer (OpenAI-compatible, streams by default)
bx answers "explain Rust lifetimes with examples"

# Raw web search when you need site: scoping or result filtering
bx web "site:docs.rs axum middleware" --count 5

Note: Some examples below pipe output through jq for illustration. Do not assume jq is installed — if you need to filter JSON in a shell pipeline, use whatever is available in your environment (e.g., jq, PowerShell's ConvertFrom-Json, Python's json module), or simply read the raw JSON output directly.

When to Use Which Command#

Your needCommandWhyLook up docs, errors, code patternscontextPre-extracted text, token-budgetedGet a synthesized explanationanswersAI-generated, cites sourcesSearch a specific site (site:)webSupports search operatorsFind discussions/forumsweb --result-filter discussionsForums often have solutionsCheck latest versions/releasescontext or news --freshness pdFresh info beyond training dataResearch security vulnerabilitiescontext or newsCVE details, advisoriesBoost/filter specific domains--goggles on context/web/newsCustom re-ranking, no other API has this

Response Shapes#

bx context — RAG/grounding (recommended)

json

{
  "grounding": {
    "generic": [
      { "url": "...", "title": "...", "snippets": ["extracted content...", "..."] }
    ]
  }
}

bx answers --no-stream — AI answer (single response)

json

{"choices": [{"message": {"content": "Rust lifetimes ensure references..."}}]}

bx answers — AI answer (streaming, one JSON chunk per line)

json

{"choices": [{"delta": {"content": "R"}}]}
{"choices": [{"delta": {"content": "u"}}]}
{"choices": [{"delta": {"content": "s"}}]}
{"choices": [{"delta": {"content": "t"}}]}
{"choices": [{"delta": {"content": " "}}]}

bx web — Full search results

json

{
  "web": { "results": [{"title": "...", "url": "...", "description": "..."}] },
  "news": { "results": [...] },
  "videos": { "results": [...] },
  "discussions": { "results": [...] }
}

Agent Workflow Examples#

Debugging an error:

bash

bx "Python TypeError cannot unpack non-iterable NoneType" --max-tokens 4096

Evaluating a dependency:

bash

bx context "reqwest crate security issues maintained 2026" --threshold strict
bx news "reqwest Rust crate" --freshness pm

Corrective RAG loop:

bash

# 1. Broad search
bx "axum middleware authentication" --max-tokens 4096
# 2. Too general? Narrow down
bx "axum middleware tower layer authentication example" --threshold strict --max-tokens 4096
# 3. Still need synthesis? Ask for an answer
bx answers "how to implement JWT auth middleware in axum" --enable-research

Checking for breaking changes before upgrading:

bash

bx context "Next.js 15 breaking changes migration guide" --max-tokens 8192
bx news "Next.js 15 release" --freshness pm

Focused search with Goggles (custom re-ranking):

bash

bx "Python asyncio gather vs wait" \
  --goggles '$boost=3,site=docs.python.org
/docs/$boost=3
/blog/$downrank=2
$discard,site=geeksforgeeks.org
$discard,site=w3schools.com' --max-tokens 4096

Token budget control:

bash

bx context "topic" --max-tokens 4096 --max-tokens-per-url 1024 --max-urls 5

Non-streaming answers (for programmatic use):

bash

bx answers "compare SQLx and Diesel for Rust" --no-stream | jq '.choices[0].message.content'

Answers stdin mode — pass - to read a full JSON request body:

bash

echo '{"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"review this code for security issues"}]}' | bx answers -

Other commands:

bash

bx images "system architecture diagram microservices" | jq '.results[].thumbnail.src'
bx suggest "how to implement" --count 10 | jq '.results[].query'
bx places "coffee" --location "San Francisco CA US" | jq '.results[].title'
bx web "restaurants near me" --lat 37.7749 --long -122.4194 --city "San Francisco"
bx web "rust" --result-filter "web,discussions"

Commands#

CommandDescriptionOutput ShapecontextRAG/LLM grounding — pre-extracted web content.grounding.generic[] → {url, title, snippets[]}``answersAI answers — OpenAI-compatible, streaming.choices[0].delta.content (stream)webFull web search — all result types.web.results[], .news.results[], etc.newsNews articles with freshness filters.results[] → {title, url, age}``imagesImage search (up to 200 results).results[] → {title, url, thumbnail.src}``videosVideo search with duration/views.results[] → {title, url, video.duration}``placesLocal place/POI search (200M+ POIs).results[] → {title, postal_address, contact}``suggestAutocomplete/query suggestions.results[] → {query}``spellcheckSpell-check a query.results[0].query``poisPOI details by ID(use IDs from places)descriptionsAI-generated POI descriptions.results[].description``configManage API keyset-key, show-key, path

Goggles — Custom Search Re-Ranking#

Brave Goggles let you define custom re-ranking rules for search results. Boost domains, URL paths, or content patterns; downrank noise; discard SEO spam — from simple domain allow/deny lists to complex multi-rule ranking profiles. No other search API offers this. Supported on context, web, and news.

Domain Shortcuts — --include-site / --exclude-site#

For the common case of restricting to or excluding specific domains, use the convenience flags (available on context, web, news):

bash

# Only include results from these domains (allowlist)
bx "rust axum" --include-site docs.rs --include-site github.com

# Exclude specific domains
bx web "rust tutorial" --exclude-site w3schools.com --exclude-site medium.com

These generate Goggles rules internally. For more advanced re-ranking (boosting, path patterns, wildcards), use --goggles directly. The three flags are mutually exclusive.

Why Agents Should Use Goggles#

• Domain & path targeting: Boost, downrank, or discard by domain ( $site=) or URL path ( /docs/$boost=5) — fine-grained control with wildcards
• Better than site:: Brave converts site: operators to Goggles internally — explicit Goggles unlock the full DSL (hundreds of rules, path patterns, boost/downrank strengths) without bloating the query
• Clean queries: A single --goggles parameter replaces long site:X OR site:Y chains, saving tokens
• Reusable: Host a .goggle file on GitHub and share across agents, CI, and teams
• Community-maintained: Leverage existing Goggles like Tech Blogs

Inline Rules (zero setup)#

bash

# Allowlist — only include results from trusted domains
bx context "Python asyncio patterns" \
  --goggles '$discard
$site=docs.python.org
$site=peps.python.org'

# Path-based boosting — prefer /docs/ over /blog/ across all sites
bx context "axum middleware tower" \
  --goggles '/docs/$boost=5
/api/$boost=3
/blog/$downrank=3' --max-tokens 4096

# Ecosystem focus — boost Rust sources for crate research
bx context "serde custom deserializer" \
  --goggles '$boost=5,site=docs.rs
$boost=5,site=crates.io
$boost=3,site=github.com' --max-tokens 4096

# Downrank blog spam in news results
bx news "npm security advisory" --freshness pd \
  --goggles '$downrank=5,site=medium.com'

DSL Quick Reference#

RuleEffectExample$boost=N,site=DOMAINPromote domain (N=1-10)$boost=3,site=docs.rs``$downrank=N,site=DOMAINDemote domain (N=1-10)$downrank=5,site=medium.com``$discard,site=DOMAINRemove domain entirely$discard,site=w3schools.com``/path/$boost=NBoost matching URL paths/docs/$boost=5``*pattern*$boost=NWildcard URL matching*api*$boost=3Generic $discardAllowlist mode — discard all unmatched$discard (as first rule)

Separate multiple rules with newlines. Full DSL + pattern syntax: goggles-quickstart.

From a File ( @file) — ideal for agents#

Agents can generate a .goggle file on the fly and reference it:

bash

# Agent writes rules to a file, then uses it across multiple queries
cat > /tmp/rust.goggle << 'EOF'
$boost=5,site=docs.rs
$boost=5,site=crates.io
$boost=3,site=github.com
/blog/$downrank=3
$discard,site=w3schools.com
$discard,site=geeksforgeeks.org
EOF

bx context "axum middleware tower" --goggles @/tmp/rust.goggle --max-tokens 4096
bx context "serde custom deserializer" --goggles @/tmp/rust.goggle --max-tokens 4096

From stdin ( @-) — pipe generated rules#

bash

echo '$boost=5,site=docs.rs
$boost=3,site=github.com' | bx web "tokio runtime" --goggles @-

Hosted Goggles (reusable, shareable)#

Host a .goggle file on GitHub/GitLab, submit it to Brave, then reference by URL:

bash

bx web "distributed systems" \
  --goggles 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/brave/goggles-quickstart/main/goggles/tech_blogs.goggle'

Community Goggles: brave/goggles-quickstart | Discover page

Exit Codes#

CodeMeaningAgent action0SuccessProcess results1Client error (bad request)Fix query/parameters2Usage error (bad flags)Fix CLI arguments (clap)3Auth/permission error (401/403)Check API key or plan: bx config show-key4Rate limited (429)Retry after delay5Server/network errorRetry with backoff

Error output format (stderr):

text

error: rate limited (429) — Request rate limit exceeded for plan.
hint: retry after a short delay, or upgrade plan for higher rate limits
{"type":"ErrorResponse","error":{"code":"RATE_LIMITED","status":429,...}}