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/mcp/perplexity_search.py \
    --ask "What is the latest version of Python?"

Direct web search (ranked results, no AI)

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

AI-synthesized research

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

Chain-of-thought reasoning

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

Deep comprehensive research

uv run python scripts/mcp/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/mcp/perplexity_search.py \
    --search "OpenTelemetry AI agent tracing" \
    --recency month --max-results 5

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

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

# Deep dive
uv run python scripts/mcp/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.