Perplexity Search Skill
A skill for executing real-time web searches and research using the Perplexity API.
Purpose
This skill provides the following capabilities:
- perplexity_ask - Answer general questions (using sonar-pro model)
- perplexity_research - Deep research and comprehensive reports (using sonar-deep-research model)
- perplexity_reason - Advanced reasoning and analysis (using sonar-reasoning-pro model)
- perplexity_search - Retrieve web search results
When to Use
Use this skill in the following situations:
- User needs up-to-date information
- Received a question requiring web search
- Asked to perform deep research or investigation
- Complex analysis or reasoning is required
- Keywords like "look up", "search for", "latest..." are included
Prerequisites
PERPLEXITY_API_KEYenvironment variable must be set- Internet connection must be available
Usage
Basic Usage
Use the scripts/perplexity_api.py script to call the API.
# General questions (ask)
python3 scripts/perplexity_api.py ask "your question"
# Deep research (research)
python3 scripts/perplexity_api.py research "research topic"
# Advanced reasoning (reason)
python3 scripts/perplexity_api.py reason "reasoning task"
# Web search (search)
python3 scripts/perplexity_api.py search "search query" [--max-results 10] [--country JP]Command Options
ask / research / reason
- First argument: question, research topic, or reasoning task
--strip-thinking: Remove<think>...</think>tags to save context tokens (research/reason only)
search
- First argument: search query
--max-results: Maximum number of results to return (1-20, default: 10)--max-tokens-per-page: Maximum tokens per page (256-2048, default: 1024)--country: ISO code for regional results (e.g., JP, US, GB)
Workflow
Standard Search Flow
- Analyze the user's question and select the appropriate tool
- Simple questions → ask - Deep research → research - Complex analysis → reason - Information gathering → search
- Execute the script to call the API
- Present results to the user, citing sources when available
Tool Selection Guidelines
| Use Case | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Current weather, news | ask | When quick answers are needed |
| Technical topic research | research | When comprehensive analysis is needed |
| Complex problem analysis | reason | When logical reasoning is needed |
| Collecting sources | search | When URLs or snippets are needed |
API Details
For detailed API specifications, see references/api_reference.md.
Troubleshooting
- API Key Error: Verify the
PERPLEXITY_API_KEYenvironment variable - Timeout: Increase
PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS(default: 300000ms) - Proxy Issues: Set
PERPLEXITY_PROXYorHTTPS_PROXY