Overview

The Perplexity node allows you to use Perplexity AI inside your Flowmage flows.

Unlike standard AI nodes, Perplexity is optimized for:

• Search-based answers

• Real-time information

• Web-enhanced responses

? This makes it ideal for flows that require up-to-date or factual data.

When to Use This Node

Use the Perplexity node when you want to:

• Search for real-time information

• Answer questions using web data

• Enrich data with external knowledge

• Validate or verify information

• Generate embeddings or use AI agents

Configuration

API Key

Enter your Perplexity API key.

You can find this at:

https://perplexity.ai/settings/api

Example:

pplx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

API

Select which Perplexity API you want to use.

Available API Options

Agent Sonar

? Recommended for most use cases

• Combines AI + live web search

• Best for answering questions

• Provides contextual, up-to-date responses

Agent Custom Model

• Use a specific Perplexity model

• More control over behavior

• Advanced use cases

Search

• Pure search-based results

• Returns raw or semi-structured data

• Less “AI-style” responses

Embedding

• Generate embeddings from text

• Useful for:

  • Search indexing

  • Similarity matching

  • AI pipelines

How It Works

1. Flow reaches the Perplexity node

2. Selected API is executed

3. Query/input is processed

4. Perplexity retrieves and/or generates results

5. Output is returned to Flowmage

Output / Variables

The response is available via your Output ID.

Example:

@exist.output@

? exist = your Output ID

Example Use Cases

Real-Time Search

What are the latest news about Microsoft?

Data Enrichment

Provide company information for: @company.name@

Validation

Is this company legitimate? @lead.company@

AI + Search Combined

Summarize recent developments in AI in 5 bullet points.

Common Mistakes

❌ Missing API Key

Node will fail.

✅ Add valid Perplexity API key

❌ Wrong API Selection

Using embeddings when you need search.

✅ Choose the correct API type

❌ Expecting Static Results

Perplexity uses live data.

✅ Results may vary over time

❌ Not Handling Output

Results may be long or unstructured.

✅ Use AI nodes or macros to format

Pro Tips

• Use Agent Sonar for best general results

• Combine with OpenAI/Claude for formatting output

• Use embeddings for advanced AI pipelines

• Keep prompts clear and specific

• Cache results if consistency is important

Summary

The Perplexity node adds real-time, web-powered intelligence to your flows.

It’s ideal for:

• Search

• Data enrichment

• Validation

• Up-to-date insights

? Next step: Combine Perplexity with AI nodes to build powerful research and automation workflows.