---
title: Perplexity Search Tool
description: "Integrate Perplexity AI search with AG2 agents for real-time web search and question-answering. Setup guide, API key configuration, and usage examples."
---

The Perplexity AI search integration allows users to perform real-time web searches within the AG2 framework. Follow these steps to integrate `PerplexitySearchTool` with AG2 Agents.

## Configuring Your Perplexity API Key

1. **Create a Perplexity Account**:
   - Visit [Perplexity AI](https://www.perplexity.ai/)
   - Click `Sign Up` and create an account
   - Select Free Tier during registration

2. **Get API Key**:
   - Navigate to [API Settings](https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api)
   - Add payment method (required)
   - Generate API key under **API Keys**

3. **Set Environment Variable**:
   ```bash
   export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
   ```


## Package Installation

To get started with the `Perplexity Search` integration in AG2, follow these steps:

Install AG2 with `openai` since we use OpenAI's LLMs in our example:

```bash
pip install -U "ag2[openai]"
```
> **Note:** If you have been using `autogen` or `ag2`, all you need to do is upgrade it using:
> ```bash
> pip install -U "autogen[openai]"
> ```
> or
> ```bash
> pip install -U "ag2[openai]"
> ```
> as `autogen` and `ag2` are aliases for the same PyPI package.


You're all set! Now you can start using Perplexity AI Search with AG2.

## Implementation

### Imports

```python
import os
import autogen
from autogen import AssistantAgent, UserProxyAgent, LLMConfig
from autogen.tools.experimental import PerplexitySearchTool
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
load_dotenv()
```


### Agent Configuration

Configure an assistant agent and user proxy to be used for LLM recommendation and execution respectively.

```python
llm_config = LLMConfig({"api_type": "openai", "model": "gpt-5-nano","api_key":os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")})

assistant = AssistantAgent(
    name="assistant",
    llm_config=llm_config,
)

user_proxy = UserProxyAgent(
    name="user_proxy",
    human_input_mode="NEVER"
)

```

### Tool Setup

```python
perplexity_search_tool = PerplexitySearchTool(
    api_key=os.getenv("PERPLEXITY_API_KEY"),
    max_tokens=1000
)

# Register the tool for LLM recommendation and execution.
perplexity_search_tool.register_for_llm(assistant)
perplexity_search_tool.register_for_execution(user_proxy)
```

### Usage Example

With the setup complete, you can now use the assistant to fetch live web search results.

```python
response = user_proxy.initiate_chat(
    recipient=assistant,
    message="What is AG2?",
    max_turns=2,
)
```

### Output

```console
user_proxy (to assistant):

What is AG2?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assistant (to user_proxy):

***** Suggested tool call (call_kOW9AP9YmrCJbxhnnqiNjXVz): perplexity-search *****
Arguments:
{"query":"What is AG2?"}
**********************************************************************************

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>>>>>> EXECUTING FUNCTION perplexity-search...
Call ID: call_kOW9AP9YmrCJbxhnnqiNjXVz
Input arguments: {'query': 'What is AG2?'}
user_proxy (to assistant):

***** Response from calling tool (call_kOW9AP9YmrCJbxhnnqiNjXVz) *****
{"content":"AG2 is an open-source framework for building AI-powered agents, originally a community-driven fork of the AutoGen project. It is led by Dr. Chi Wang of Google DeepMind and Dr. Qingyun Wu of Penn State University. AG2 focuses on **multi-agent systems**, enabling autonomous agents to collaborate and solve complex problems across various domains such as education, enterprise workflows, and healthcare[1][3][5]. It provides tools for enhanced Large Language Model (LLM) inference and optimization, facilitating the creation of diverse applications[3][4].","citations":["https://www.forwardfuture.ai/p/agents-in-action-the-rise-of-ag2-and-the-future-of-intelligent-agents","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UItthyY71UU","https://docs.ag2.ai/docs/home/home","https://docs.ag2.ai/latest/docs/home/home/","https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/agent-engine/develop/ag2","https://atmosphericg2.com/homepage/products/ag2data/","https://atmosphericg2.com/ag2trader/"]}
**********************************************************************

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assistant (to user_proxy):

AG2 is an open-source framework for building AI-powered agents, initially a community-driven fork of the AutoGen project. It is led by researchers Dr. Chi Wang of Google DeepMind and Dr. Qingyun Wu of Penn State University. AG2 emphasizes **multi-agent systems**, allowing autonomous agents to collaborate and tackle complex problems in various fields, including education, enterprise workflows, and healthcare.

The framework provides tools for improved Large Language Model (LLM) inference and optimization, facilitating the development of diverse applications.

For more detailed information, you can explore the following resources:
- [Forward Future Article](https://www.forwardfuture.ai/p/agents-in-action-the-rise-of-ag2-and-the-future-of-intelligent-agents)
- [Official Documentation](https://docs.ag2.ai/docs/home/home)

TERMINATE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>>>>>> TERMINATING RUN (2ab104c4-cfe6-4ce7-88e3-fb83b9623a7a): Maximum turns (2) reached

Process finished with exit code 0
```

### Key Considerations

#### Cost Management

**Free Tier Limits**:
- 100 daily queries included.
- Monitor usage via [Perplexity Dashboard](https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api).

#### Performance Optimizations

**Best Practices**:

- Start with smaller response lengths by setting the `max_tokens` parameter.
- Filter search domains with `search_domain_filter` parameter to restrict the search results to specific domains.
```python
optimized_tool = PerplexitySearchTool(
    api_key=os.getenv("PERPLEXITY_API_KEY"),
    max_tokens=1000,
    search_domain_filter=["arxiv.org", "towardsdatascience.com"],
)
```
**Note:** The `search_domain_filter` parameter is an advanced feature available exclusively to Pro Tier or higher subscribers of the Perplexity API; please consult Perplexity’s [usage tiers documentation](https://docs.perplexity.ai/guides/usage-tiers) for further details.
