perplexity

# Perplexity Tools Use ONLY when user says "search", "find", "look up", "ask", "research", or "what's the latest" for generic queries. NOT for library/framework docs (use Context7), gt CLI (use Graphite MCP), or workspace questions (use Nx MCP). ## Quick Reference **Which Perplexity tool?** - Need search results/URLs? → **Perplexity Search** - Need conversational answer? → **Perplexity Ask** - Need deep research? → **Researcher agent** (`/research <topic>`) **NOT Perplexity - use these instead:** - Library/framework docs → **Context7 MCP** - Graphite `gt` CLI → **Graphite MCP** - THIS workspace → **Nx MCP** - Specific URL → **URL Crawler** ## Perplexity Search **When to use:** - Generic searches, finding resources - Current best practices, recent information - Tutorial/blog post discovery - User says "search for...", "find...", "look up..." **Default parameters (ALWAYS USE):** ```typescript mcp__perplexity__perplexity_search({ query: "your search query", max_results: 3, // Default is 10 - too many! max_tokens_per_page: 512 // Reduce per-result content }) ``` **When to increase limits:** Only if: - User explicitly needs comprehensive results - Initial search found nothing useful - Complex topic needs multiple sources ```typescript // Increased limits (use sparingly) mcp__perplexity__perplexity_search({ query: "complex topic", max_results: 5, max_tokens_per_page: 1024 }) ``` ## Perplexity Ask **When to use:** - Need conversational explanation, not search results - Synthesize information from web - Explain concepts with current context **Usage:** ```typescript mcp__perplexity__perplexity_ask({ messages: [ { role: "user", content: "Explain how postgres advisory locks work" } ] }) ``` **NOT for:** - Library documentation (use Context7) - Deep multi-source research (use researcher agent) ## Prohibited Tool **NEVER use:** `mcp__perplexity__perplexity_research` **Use instead:** Researcher agent (`/research <topic>`) - Token cost: 30-50k tokens - Provides multi-source synthesis with citations - Use sparingly for complex questions only ## Tool Selection Chain **Priority order:** 1. **Context7 MCP** - Library/framework docs 2. **Graphite MCP** - Any `gt` CLI mention 3. **Nx MCP** - THIS workspace questions 4. **Perplexity Search** - Generic searches 5. **Perplexity Ask** - Conversational answers 6. **Researcher agent** - Deep multi-source research 7. **WebSearch** - Last resort (after Perplexity exhausted) ## Examples **✅ CORRECT - Use Perplexity Search:** - "Find postgres migration best practices" - "Search for React testing tutorials" - "Look up latest trends in microservices" **✅ CORRECT - Use Perplexity Ask:** - "Explain how postgres advisory locks work" - "What are the trade-offs of microservices?" **❌ WRONG - Use Context7 instead:** - "Search for React hooks documentation" → Context7 MCP - "Find Next.js routing docs" → Context7 MCP - "Look up Temporal workflow API" → Context7 MCP **❌ WRONG - Use Graphite MCP instead:** - "Search for gt stack commands" → Graphite MCP - "Find gt branch workflow" → Graphite MCP **❌ WRONG - Use Nx MCP instead:** - "Search for build config" (in THIS workspace) → Nx MCP - "Find project dependencies" (in THIS workspace) → Nx MCP ## Key Points - **Default to limited results** - avoid context bloat - **Library docs = Context7** - ALWAYS try Context7 first - **"gt" = Graphite MCP** - ANY "gt" mention uses Graphite - **Deep research = /research** - NOT perplexity_research tool - **Fallback chain** - Search → Ask → WebSearch (last resort) --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io) | [Claim this content](https://tomevault.io/claim/davila7/claude-code-templates) <!-- tomevault:2.0:skill_md:2026-04-05 -->