- name
- perplexity-search
- description
- Search the web using Perplexity's Search API for ranked, real-time web results with advanced filtering. Use when you need to search for current information, market research, trending topics, or when Brave Search is unavailable. Supports recency filtering (day/week/month/year) and returns structured results with titles, URLs, and snippets.
- metadata
- openclaw
- emoji
- 🔍
- requires
- env
- primaryEnv
- PERPLEXITY_API_KEY
Perplexity Search
Search the web using Perplexity's Search API for ranked, real-time results.
Quick Start
Basic search:
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "your search query"With options:
# Get 10 results
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "AI trends 2024" --count 10
# Filter by recency
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "recent AI news" --recency week
# Get raw JSON output
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "market research" --jsonAPI Key Setup
The script requires a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable.
Option 1: Set in OpenClaw config (recommended)
Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
{
"skills": {
"perplexity-search": {
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}Option 2: Environment variable
export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"Get your API key from: https://perplexity.ai/account/api
Parameters
query- Search query string (required)--count N- Number of results (1-10, default: 5)--recency FILTER- Recency filter:day,week,month, oryear--json- Output raw JSON instead of formatted results
Response Format
The API returns:
{
"results": [
{
"title": "Article title",
"url": "https://example.com/article",
"snippet": "Brief excerpt from the page...",
"date": "2024-01-15",
"last_updated": "2024-02-01"
}
],
"id": "search-request-id"
}Use Cases
Market Research:
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "golf coaching Instagram trends" --count 10Recent News:
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "AI regulation updates" --recency weekCompetitive Analysis:
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "AI golf training apps" --count 10Pricing
Perplexity Search API: $5 per 1,000 requests
Track your usage at: https://perplexity.ai/account/api
Security
- API key loaded from environment only - never hardcoded
- Output sanitization prevents terminal injection
- Error messages don't expose sensitive information
- 30-second timeout prevents hanging requests
- Input validation on all parameters
Notes
- Results are ranked by relevance
- Includes real-time web data
- Supports filtering by recency
- Returns structured JSON or formatted text
- Rate limits apply based on your Perplexity plan