diff --git a/extensions/brave/src/brave-web-search-provider.test.ts b/extensions/brave/src/brave-web-search-provider.test.ts
index a8fe0ae5b5c..8e0d5e06381 100644
--- a/extensions/brave/src/brave-web-search-provider.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/brave/src/brave-web-search-provider.test.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ describe("brave web search provider", () => {
 
     expect(result).toMatchObject({
       error: "missing_brave_api_key",
-      message: expect.stringContaining("use web_fetch for a specific URL or the browser tool"),
+      message:
+        "web_search (brave) needs a Brave Search API key. Run `openclaw configure --section web` to store it, or set BRAVE_API_KEY in the Gateway environment. If you do not want to configure a search API key, use web_fetch for a specific URL or the browser tool for interactive pages.",
     });
   });