perplexity-search

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":["PERPLEXITY_API_KEY"]},"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" --json

API 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, or year
• --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 10

Recent News:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "AI regulation updates" --recency week

Competitive Analysis:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/search.py "AI golf training apps" --count 10

Pricing

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