Perplexity AI Search

Web search with AI-powered answers, deep research, and chain-of-thought reasoning.

When to Use

• Direct web search for ranked results (no AI synthesis)
• AI-synthesized research with citations
• Chain-of-thought reasoning for complex decisions
• Deep comprehensive research on topics

Models (2025)

| Model | Purpose | |-------|---------| | sonar | Lightweight search with grounding | | sonar-pro | Advanced search for complex queries | | sonar-reasoning-pro | Chain of thought reasoning | | sonar-deep-research | Expert-level exhaustive research |

Usage

Quick question (AI answer)

uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --ask "What is the latest version of Python?"

Direct web search (ranked results, no AI)

uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --search "SQLite graph database patterns" \
    --max-results 5 \
    --recency week

AI-synthesized research

uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --research "compare FastAPI vs Django for microservices"

Chain-of-thought reasoning

uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --reason "should I use Neo4j or SQLite for small graph under 10k nodes?"

Deep comprehensive research

uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --deep "state of AI agent observability 2025"

Parameters

| Parameter | Description | |-----------|-------------| | --ask | Quick question with AI answer (sonar) | | --search | Direct web search - ranked results without AI synthesis | | --research | AI-synthesized research (sonar-pro) | | --reason | Chain-of-thought reasoning (sonar-reasoning-pro) | | --deep | Deep comprehensive research (sonar-deep-research) |

Search-specific options

| Parameter | Description | |-----------|-------------| | --max-results N | Number of results (1-20, default: 10) | | --recency | Filter: day, week, month, year | | --domains | Limit to specific domains |

Mode Selection Guide

| Need | Use | Why | |------|-----|-----| | Quick fact | --ask | Fast, lightweight | | Find sources | --search | Raw results, no AI overhead | | Synthesized answer | --research | AI combines multiple sources | | Complex decision | --reason | Chain-of-thought analysis | | Comprehensive report | --deep | Exhaustive multi-source research |

Examples

# Find recent sources on a topic
uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --search "OpenTelemetry AI agent tracing" \
    --recency month --max-results 5

# Get AI synthesis
uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --research "best practices for AI agent logging 2025"

# Make a decision
uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --reason "microservices vs monolith for startup MVP"

# Deep dive
uv run python scripts/perplexity_search.py \
    --deep "comprehensive guide to building feedback loops for autonomous agents"

API Key Required

Requires PERPLEXITY_API_KEY in environment or ~/.claude/.env.