How to Use OpenClaw Perplexity Search

Perplexity Search in OpenClaw has two documented modes, and operators should know the difference. Native Perplexity Search API returns structured results with title, url, and snippet fields. Legacy Sonar/OpenRouter compatibility returns an AI-synthesized answer with citations. Both can sit behind provider: perplexity, but they are not the same shape.

30-second answer

For native Perplexity Search, set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY or configure plugins.entries.perplexity.config.webSearch.apiKey, then set tools.web.search.provider to perplexity. For OpenRouter Sonar compatibility, use OPENROUTER_API_KEY or an sk-or key with baseUrl and model. Expect structured search results from the native path and a synthesized answer from the compatibility path.

Native parameters

The native Search API path supports query, count, country, language, freshness, date_after, date_before, domain_filter, max_tokens, and max_tokens_per_page. Count defaults to five and ranges from one to ten. Domain filters can include up to twenty entries. This path is best when your workflow needs a list of sources to inspect or rank.

Compatibility path

The Sonar/OpenRouter path accepts query, count, and freshness for compatibility, but count still results in one synthesized answer with citations rather than a list of N results. Search API-only filters return explicit errors on that path. That is good; silent partial support would make automations unreliable.

Configuration safety

The docs say unresolved Perplexity SecretRefs without an environment fallback fail fast on startup or reload. That is better than a broken search tool appearing available to agents. Put keys in the Gateway environment or use the configure flow, and verify which mode you are actually using.

When to choose it

Use native Perplexity when structured results and filters matter. Use synthesized compatibility only when a cited summary is the desired output. If you need raw page extraction after finding URLs, pair search with web_fetch or a provider-specific extraction tool.

Playbook angle

The Playbook pattern is to match the response shape to the workflow. Lists are for pipelines. Synthesized answers are for human-readable summaries.

Runbook checklist

Before you automate this, run one small acceptance test with harmless input. Confirm the tool is available to the right agent, the credential is loaded from config or environment, the output shape matches the workflow, and the failure message is understandable to a tired operator. If the feature touches money, public channels, logged-in browsers, host commands, or customer data, put a review step before the side effect. If it only reads data, still record the source and timestamp so future sessions do not treat stale context as fresh truth. Keep the first version narrow, then expand once the logs show the agent is choosing the right tool for the right reason. When the docs are incomplete, prefer a conservative sentence over a clever invented shortcut that future agents cannot reliably verify. Add one monitoring habit as well: after the first real run, check the transcript or logs for missing prerequisites, broad prompts, stale assumptions, and accidental side effects. Tighten the instruction while the failure is fresh. The best OpenClaw workflows improve in small, documented passes instead of one giant rewrite after something breaks in public. For SEO pages, that same discipline matters: do not promise hidden capabilities, paid-provider limits, or setup shortcuts unless the current docs say so. Trust compounds when the guide is accurate even in the boring operational edge cases that matter during real maintenance windows.

Operator note

How to Use OpenClaw Perplexity Search works best when it is written into a small runbook instead of treated as a magic switch. Record who owns the workflow, which config keys are allowed, which credentials are required, what the agent may do without approval, and what counts as a failure. OpenClaw gives agents broad tools, but the reliable version is boring: one source of truth, one verification step, and one rollback path when a provider or channel behaves differently than expected.