---
title: "SearchAPI.io - Perplexity API"
description: "SearchAPI.io tool searchapi-io-perplexity on looot: input fields, $0.004 per call, output shape, and code to run it with curl, JavaScript or Python."
sidebar:
  hidden: true
---

{/* Generated by scripts/generate-api-reference.mjs from data/api-reference.json. Do not edit. */}

Get Perplexity's AI-generated answers in structured JSON. This API returns AI-synthesized text blocks, a generated markdown version of the answer, and the cited reference links.

- **Tool id:** `searchapi-io-perplexity`
- **Provider:** [SearchAPI.io](/providers/searchapi-io)
- **Job:** [Perplexity search](/reference/jobs/search-perplexity) (`search.perplexity`)
- **Price:** $0.004 per call. A call that fails at the provider costs $0.

## Inputs

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `engine` | string | no | Fixed to "perplexity" for this endpoint. Example: "perplexity" |
| `q` | string | yes |   |
| `sources` | string | no |   |

## Output

The run's `result` holds the provider's answer. Signed in, `looot inspect searchapi-io-perplexity` prints its fields.

## Run it

Every call needs your API token in `LOOOT_TOKEN`; [Sign in](/get-started/sign-in#use-the-token-in-scripts-and-agents) shows how to get one. Each run also needs a new idempotency key, so a retry never pays twice. With `wait: 30` the answer comes back inline when the run ends within 30 seconds. Otherwise you get the running run back: poll `GET /v1/runs/<runId>`.

Example input with placeholder values:

<CodeGroup>

```bash curl
curl -X POST "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LOOOT_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -d '{"endpointId":"searchapi-io-perplexity","input":{"q":"<q>","engine":"perplexity"},"wait":30}'
```

```js JavaScript
const response = await fetch("https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LOOOT_TOKEN}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Idempotency-Key": crypto.randomUUID(),
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    endpointId: "searchapi-io-perplexity",
    input: {
      q: "<q>",
      engine: "perplexity",
    },
    wait: 30,
  }),
});
const run = await response.json();
console.log(run.status, run.result);
```

```python Python
import os
import uuid

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LOOOT_TOKEN']}",
        "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4()),
    },
    json={
        "endpointId": "searchapi-io-perplexity",
        "input": {
            "q": "<q>",
            "engine": "perplexity",
        },
        "wait": 30,
    },
    timeout=90,
)
run = response.json()
print(run["status"], run.get("result"))
```

</CodeGroup>

To let looot pick among every provider of this job instead, send `job:search.perplexity` as `endpointId`; see [the job page](/reference/jobs/search-perplexity).