Perplexity Search

Action ID: perplexity_search

Description

Search the web and get AI-powered answers using Perplexity's advanced search models. This node provides real-time information retrieval combined with AI reasoning to deliver accurate, cited answers to your queries.

Provider

Perplexity

Connection

Name	Description	Required	Category
Perplexity Connection	The Perplexity connection to use for the search.	✓	perplexity

Input Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
prompt	string	✓	-	The prompt to send to Perplexity
model	string	-	sonar	The model to use for chat completion. Available options: sonar, sonar-pro
temperature	number	-	0.7	Controls randomness in the response. Higher values make the output more random, lower values make it more deterministic. Range: 0.0 to 1.0

View JSON Schema

{
  "description": "Perplexity search node input.",
  "properties": {
    "prompt": {
      "title": "Prompt",
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The prompt to send to Perplexity."
    },
    "model": {
      "title": "Model",
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["sonar", "sonar-pro"],
      "default": "sonar",
      "description": "The model to use for chat completion."
    },
    "temperature": {
      "title": "Temperature",
      "type": "number",
      "default": 0.7,
      "minimum": 0.0,
      "maximum": 1.0,
      "description": "Controls randomness in the response. Higher values make the output more random, lower values make it more deterministic."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "prompt"
  ],
  "title": "PerplexitySearchInput",
  "type": "object"
}

Output Parameters

Name	Type	Description
response	any	The response from Perplexity

View JSON Schema

{
  "description": "Perplexity search node output.",
  "properties": {
    "response": {
      "title": "Response",
      "description": "The response from Perplexity."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "response"
  ],
  "title": "PerplexitySearchOutput",
  "type": "object"
}

How It Works

This node sends your prompt to Perplexity's AI search service, which searches the web in real-time for relevant information and processes it through advanced language models to generate accurate, cited answers. The response includes both the AI-generated answer and citations to source materials.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Current Events Search

Input:

prompt: "What are the latest developments in artificial intelligence?"
model: "sonar"
temperature: 0.5

Output:

response: {
  "answer": "Recent developments in AI include...",
  "citations": [
    {"title": "Latest AI Breakthroughs", "url": "https://example.com/ai-news"},
    {"title": "AI Research Updates", "url": "https://example.com/research"}
  ]
}

Example 2: Technical Question with Pro Model

Input:

prompt: "How do I implement OAuth 2.0 authentication in Python?"
model: "sonar-pro"
temperature: 0.3

Output:

response: {
  "answer": "OAuth 2.0 implementation steps:\n1. Install required libraries...",
  "code_examples": [
    {"language": "python", "code": "..."}
  ],
  "citations": [
    {"title": "OAuth 2.0 Documentation", "url": "https://example.com/oauth"}
  ]
}

Example 3: Product Research

Input:

prompt: "Compare the best laptop models available in 2024 for programming"
model: "sonar"
temperature: 0.6

Output:

response: {
  "answer": "Top programming laptops in 2024:\n1. MacBook Pro...",
  "comparisons": [
    {"model": "MacBook Pro", "specs": {...}, "price": "$1999"},
    {"model": "ThinkPad", "specs": {...}, "price": "$1299"}
  ],
  "citations": [
    {"title": "Best Laptops 2024", "url": "https://example.com/reviews"}
  ]
}

Common Use Cases

• Research Assistance: Get comprehensive, cited answers to research questions

• Current Events Awareness: Stay updated on breaking news and latest developments

• Technical Documentation: Find and summarize technical solutions and best practices

• Product Research: Compare products and gather pricing and specification information

• Market Intelligence: Research competitor products and industry trends

• Academic Research: Find scholarly articles and research papers on specific topics

• Real-time Data: Get current information that may not be available in training data

Error Handling

Error Type	Cause	Solution
Authentication Error	Invalid or missing Perplexity API key	Verify your Perplexity connection is properly configured
Invalid Model	Model name doesn't exist or access not granted	Use only 'sonar' or 'sonar-pro' models
Network Error	Cannot reach Perplexity servers or search the web	Check internet connection and Perplexity service status
Rate Limit Exceeded	Too many requests in a short period	Implement delays between requests or upgrade your plan
Empty Response	Search returned no results or answer could not be generated	Rephrase the prompt to be more specific
Timeout	Request took too long to process	Simplify the prompt or try again with reduced complexity

Notes

• Model Selection: Choose 'sonar' for standard searches and 'sonar-pro' for more complex analysis requiring deep reasoning.

• Temperature Control: Lower temperature (0.0-0.3) for factual, deterministic responses. Higher temperature (0.7-1.0) for more creative exploration.

• Citations: Perplexity includes source citations for transparency and fact-checking.

• Real-time Search: This node searches the current web, so it provides up-to-date information beyond training data cutoffs.

• Specific Prompts: More specific and detailed prompts yield better results. Include context and any constraints.

• Cost Optimization: The standard 'sonar' model is cost-effective for most searches. Reserve 'sonar-pro' for complex queries.