Perplexity (Web Search Provider)
The Perplexity plugin provides web search capabilities through the Perplexity Search API or Perplexity Sonar via OpenRouter.
This page covers the Perplexity provider setup. For the Perplexity tool (how the agent uses it), see Perplexity tool.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Web search provider (not a model provider) |
| Auth | PERPLEXITY_API_KEY (direct) or OPENROUTER_API_KEY (via OpenRouter) |
| Config path | plugins.entries.perplexity.config.webSearch.apiKey |
Getting started
- Set the API key
Run the interactive web-search configuration flow:
openclaw configure --section webOr set the key directly:
openclaw config set plugins.entries.perplexity.config.webSearch.apiKey "pplx-xxxxxxxxxxxx" - Start searching
The agent will automatically use Perplexity for web searches once the key is configured. No additional steps are required.
Search modes
The plugin auto-selects the transport based on API key prefix:
When your key starts with pplx-, OpenClaw uses the native Perplexity Search
API. This transport returns structured results and supports domain, language,
and date filters (see filtering options below).
When your key starts with sk-or-, OpenClaw routes through OpenRouter using
the Perplexity Sonar model. This transport returns AI-synthesized answers with
citations.
| Key prefix | Transport | Features |
|---|---|---|
pplx- | Native Perplexity Search API | Structured results, domain/language/date filters |
sk-or- | OpenRouter (Sonar) | AI-synthesized answers with citations |
Native API filtering
Filtering options are only available when using the native Perplexity API
(pplx- key). OpenRouter/Sonar searches do not support these parameters.
When using the native Perplexity API, searches support the following filters:
| Filter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Country | 2-letter country code | us, de, jp |
| Language | ISO 639-1 language code | en, fr, zh |
| Date range | Recency window | day, week, month, year |
| Domain filters | Allowlist or denylist (max 20 domains) | example.com |
| Content budget | Token limits per response / per page | max_tokens, max_tokens_per_page |
Advanced notes
Environment variable for daemon processes
If the OpenClaw Gateway runs as a daemon (launchd/systemd), make sure
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY is available to that process.
A key set only in ~/.profile will not be visible to a launchd/systemd
daemon unless that environment is explicitly imported. Set the key in
~/.openclaw/.env or via env.shellEnv to ensure the gateway process can
read it.
OpenRouter proxy setup
If you prefer to route Perplexity searches through OpenRouter, set an
OPENROUTER_API_KEY (prefix sk-or-) instead of a native Perplexity key.
OpenClaw will detect the prefix and switch to the Sonar transport
automatically.
The OpenRouter transport is useful if you already have an OpenRouter account and want consolidated billing across multiple providers.