perplexity-multi-env-setup

name	perplexity-multi-env-setup
description	Configure Perplexity Sonar API across development, staging, and production environments. Use when setting up multi-environment search integrations, managing API keys per environment, or controlling cost through model routing by env. Trigger with phrases like "perplexity environments", "perplexity staging", "perplexity dev prod", "perplexity environment config".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash(aws:*), Bash(gcloud:*), Bash(vault:*)
version	1.12.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","perplexity","api","cost-optimization"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Perplexity Multi-Environment Setup

Overview

Configure Perplexity Sonar API across dev/staging/prod. Key decisions per environment: which models are allowed (sonar vs sonar-pro), rate limits, and cost caps. All environments use the same base URL (https://api.perplexity.ai) but different API keys with different budget limits.

Environment Strategy

Environment	Model	Rate Limit	Key Source	Monthly Budget
Development	sonar only	5 RPM self-imposed	.env.local	$10
Staging	sonar only	20 RPM	CI secrets	$50
Production	sonar + sonar-pro	50 RPM	Secret manager	$500+

Prerequisites

• Separate Perplexity API keys per environment
• openai package installed
• Secret management (env files for dev, vault/KMS for prod)

Instructions

Step 1: Configuration Structure

config/
  perplexity/
    base.ts           # OpenAI client + base URL
    development.ts    # Dev: sonar only, low limits
    staging.ts        # Staging: sonar only, moderate limits
    production.ts     # Prod: full model access
    index.ts          # Environment resolver

Step 2: Base Configuration

// config/perplexity/base.ts
import OpenAI from "openai";

export const PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL = "https://api.perplexity.ai";

export function createPerplexityClient(apiKey: string): OpenAI {
  if (!apiKey)   ();
   (!apiKey.())   ();

    ({ apiKey, :  });
}