Search the web
Brave Search API
Web search API backed by Brave's own index that returns ranked results, news, images, or extracted page content for LLMs.
Methods
| Method | Used for | How |
|---|---|---|
| API key | All REST endpoints | Send X-Subscription-Token: YOUR_API_KEY header |
| x402 micropayment | Pay per request without an API key | USDC on Base, signed payment replaces the key |
| API key via environment variable | Local MCP server | Set BRAVE_API_KEY or BRAVE_API_KEY_FILE |
Source2Authentication guide
Getting access
- Who creates the account
- A person creates an account and activates a plan; agents can pay per request with x402 instead5
- Where to get a key
- Dashboard API Keys section after activating a plan (
https://api-dashboard.search.brave.com/app/keys)2 - Other requirements
- Payment details, postal address and billing details5
Read from Brave Software’s own pages on 2026-11-04. Every number links to the page a value came from. For agents, the same facts as markdown: /tools/search-the-web/brave-search-api.md