How to Install and Use Perplexity in OpenClaw

Run the ClawHub install command to add the Perplexity skill to your OpenClaw installation. ClawHub downloads the skill package and registers it so it becomes available immediately in OpenClaw chat. Open your terminal and run: ``` clawhub install perplexity ``` The install process downloads the skill and its dependencies, which typically takes under 30 seconds. You will see progress output as the skill is fetched from the ClawHub registry. Once the install completes, confirm the skill is active: ``` clawhub list | grep perplexity ``` You should see `perplexity` listed with its version number and an 'active' status. Note: the Perplexity skill is different from search skills like tavily-ai-search or brave-search in how it processes queries. Search skills return lists of results; the Perplexity skill calls Perplexity's sonar models, which read sources and return synthesized prose answers with citations. This means responses take slightly longer than raw search queries (typically 5-15 seconds vs 2-5 seconds) but deliver significantly more actionable information for research questions.

1# Install the Perplexity skill
2clawhub install perplexity
3
4# Verify installation
5clawhub list | grep perplexity

The Perplexity skill requires an API key to make requests to Perplexity's sonar models. This key is separate from your Perplexity.ai account credentials — it is specifically for API access. To generate your API key: 1. Log in to your Perplexity account at perplexity.ai. 2. Navigate to Settings (usually via your profile icon in the top right). 3. Look for the 'API' section in the settings sidebar — it may be labeled 'API Keys' or 'Developer'. 4. Click 'Generate API Key'. Give it a name like 'OpenClaw'. 5. Copy the key immediately — it is only shown once. Perplexity offers a free tier for API access with a limited monthly query allowance, which is enough to evaluate the skill and use it regularly for light research. For heavy research workflows (dozens of queries per day), check Perplexity's API pricing at docs.perplexity.ai/docs/pricing. The API key format is typically a long alphanumeric string starting with `pplx-`. Store it securely — it is tied to your Perplexity account and usage billing. Important: this is your API key for the Perplexity API service, not your Perplexity.ai web app login password. The two are separate credentials. The API key is what the OpenClaw skill uses to make programmatic requests to Perplexity's models.

Store your Perplexity API key in OpenClaw's config system so the skill can authenticate with Perplexity's API. Never paste API keys directly into chat prompts — store them in config where they are handled securely. **Option 1: OpenClaw config command (recommended)** This writes the key to OpenClaw's encrypted config store: ``` openclaw config set skills.perplexity.apikey YOUR_PERPLEXITY_KEY_HERE ``` **Option 2: .env file in your OpenClaw directory** Open or create `.env` in your OpenClaw data directory: ``` PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-your-key-here ``` After saving, reload OpenClaw: ``` openclaw reload ``` **Verify the configuration:** ``` openclaw config get skills.perplexity.apikey ``` This should return a masked version of your key (e.g., `pplx-****...****`), confirming it is stored but not exposed in plain text. If you have other Perplexity-connected tools or workflow automations that also need this key, you can set it as an environment variable at the system level — but for OpenClaw specifically, the `openclaw config set` command is the cleanest approach and keeps credentials isolated to OpenClaw's config store.

1# Store API key via OpenClaw config (recommended)
2openclaw config set skills.perplexity.apikey pplx-your-key-here
3
4# Alternative: .env file approach
5echo 'PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-your-key-here' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
6openclaw reload
7
8# Verify the key is stored
9openclaw config get skills.perplexity.apikey

With the skill installed and configured, open OpenClaw chat and ask a real research question. The key distinction to understand when writing Perplexity prompts is that you are asking for a synthesized answer, not search results. Frame your prompts as research questions rather than search queries. **Effective prompt patterns for Perplexity:** - 'Research and summarize...' — asks for synthesis - 'What are the current...?' — signals you want up-to-date information - 'Compare X and Y...' — prompts a structured comparison with cited evidence - 'Explain the state of... in 2026' — grounds the answer in current information - 'What do experts say about...?' — requests multi-source perspectives **Less effective for Perplexity (better suited for other skills):** - Simple factual lookups ('What is the population of Tokyo?') — Tavily or Brave are faster and cheaper - URL-specific questions ('What does this specific page say?') — use firecrawl-skills for targeted page extraction - Real-time data ('Current stock price of Apple') — Perplexity is not optimized for live financial data Perplexity's strength is synthesizing and citing. Use it for questions where you need to understand something, not just retrieve a fact.

Perplexity's OpenClaw integration supports multi-turn research sessions where each follow-up question can narrow, expand, or redirect the research. This is one of its most powerful features for deep research workflows. **Multi-turn research sessions:** Ask a broad question first, then follow up with specific angles. OpenClaw maintains context between messages, so Perplexity can refine its previous answer based on your follow-up without you needing to repeat context. **Focused domain queries:** Perplexity performs better when you constrain the scope. Instead of 'Tell me about AI', ask 'What are the specific privacy risks of using AI in healthcare data processing according to EU regulators in 2025-2026?'. Narrower questions produce more accurate, better-cited answers. **Combining Perplexity with other skills:** A powerful workflow is to use Perplexity first for research synthesis (to understand the landscape and identify key sources), then use firecrawl-skills or firecrawl-search to extract full content from specific pages Perplexity cited. This gives you both the synthesized overview and the raw source material. For organizations running systematic research workflows in OpenClaw — competitive intelligence programs, regulatory monitoring, or market research pipelines — the RapidDev team has pre-built prompt templates that combine Perplexity with other ClawHub skills for structured output. Visit rapiddev.ai for examples and customization support. Finally, note that Perplexity's answers are only as current as its web index. For very recent events (last 24-48 hours), results may be less complete than for established topics.

1# Optional: configure Perplexity to use the pro model for deeper research
2openclaw config set skills.perplexity.model sonar-pro
3
4# View all Perplexity skill configuration options
5clawhub info perplexity