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 citations.

Audits

Pass

ClawScanPass

Agentic behavior and permission review.

Static analysisPass

Pattern checks against bundled files.

VirusTotalPass

Multi-engine malware detections and file reputation.

Install

openclaw skills install perplexity-deep-search

Perplexity Deep Search

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.