Perplexity Deep Search

Deep search via Perplexity API. Three modes: search (quick facts), reason (complex analysis), research (in-depth reports). Returns AI-grounded answers with c...

Security Scan

The skill’s requirements, instructions, and included script line up with its stated purpose (calling the Perplexity API using a provided PERPLEXITY_API_KEY); nothing in the files suggests unrelated access or covert behavior.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (Perplexity Deep Search) match the actual behavior: the script builds a JSON payload and calls https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions. Declared binaries (curl, jq) and primary credential (PERPLEXITY_API_KEY) are appropriate and expected.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md and scripts/search.sh are consistent: they document modes, options, and how to provide the API key. The script only reads the query, optional flags, the PERPLEXITY_API_KEY env var (or fallback file ~/.config/perplexity/api_key), and calls the Perplexity API; it does not read other system files or transmit data to unexpected endpoints.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec and only a simple bash script is included. No external downloads, archives, or nonstandard install behavior are present.

Credentials

The skill requests a single service credential (PERPLEXITY_API_KEY) which is appropriate for an API client. The fallback file path under ~/.config/perplexity is reasonable; no unrelated secrets or config paths are requested.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true, does not modify other skills or system configs, and is instruction-only plus a script. It can be invoked autonomously per platform defaults, which is normal; nothing here grants elevated or persistent system privileges.

Assessment

This skill appears to be a straightforward Perplexity API client. Before installing: (1) only provide a Perplexity API key (PERPLEXITY_API_KEY) if you trust the operator — the key is used to authenticate requests to api.perplexity.ai; (2) be aware queries you submit will be sent to Perplexity (avoid sending sensitive secrets or PII); (3) the script looks for a key in ~/.config/perplexity/api_key if the env var is not set — ensure that file has appropriate permissions (chmod 600) if you store a key there; (4) the tool uses curl and jq, so confirm those binaries are trusted on your system; (5) note Perplexity API usage may incur cost per the SKILL.md pricing guidance. If you do not want the agent to call the skill autonomously, restrict autonomous invocation via your platform settings or avoid supplying the API key.

AI-powered web search with three modes for different depth levels.

Quick Start

# Quick search (sonar) - facts, summaries, current events
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh "latest AI news"

# Reasoning (sonar-reasoning-pro) - complex analysis, multi-step
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --mode reason "compare React vs Vue for enterprise apps"

# Deep Research (sonar-deep-research) - full reports, exhaustive analysis
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --mode research "market analysis of AI in healthcare 2025"

Modes

Mode	Model	Best For	Cost
search (default)	sonar-pro	Quick facts, summaries, current events	Low
reason	sonar-reasoning-pro	Complex analysis, comparisons, problem-solving	Medium
research	sonar-deep-research	In-depth reports, market analysis, literature reviews	High

Options

Flag	Description	Default
--mode	search, reason, research	search
--recency	hour, day, week, month	—
--domains	Comma-separated domain filter	—
--lang	Language code (pt, en, es, etc.)	—
--json	Raw JSON output	off

Examples

# Search with recency filter
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --recency week "OpenAI latest announcements"

# Search restricted to specific domains
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --domains "arxiv.org,nature.com" "transformer architecture advances"

# Search in Portuguese
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --lang pt "inteligência artificial no Brasil"

# Deep research with JSON output
{baseDir}/scripts/search.sh --mode research --json "enterprise AI adoption trends"

API Key

Set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY env var, or store it in a file:

mkdir -p ~/.config/perplexity
echo "your_key_here" > ~/.config/perplexity/api_key
chmod 600 ~/.config/perplexity/api_key

The script checks the env var first, then falls back to the file.

Pricing Reference

• Search (sonar-pro): ~$0.01/query
• Reasoning (sonar-reasoning-pro): ~$0.02/query
• Deep Research (sonar-deep-research): ~$0.40/query (uses many searches + reasoning)

Use search for everyday queries. Reserve research for when you truly need exhaustive analysis.