Tools overview
Tools are what turn a model into an agent.
On its own a model answers only from what it already knows; tools let it search the live web, fetch a page, run code, or call into your own systems.
You enable tools by listing them in the tools array, and within a single request the model runs an agentic loop — it reasons, calls a tool, observes the result, and repeats until it can answer.
Four kinds of tools
Section titled “Four kinds of tools”| Kind | What it is | Where the model runs it |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in tools | Perplexity-hosted capabilities, enabled by type. |
Inside the loop; Perplexity runs it and returns results inline. |
| Connectors | Managed services or your own MCP server, configured once for a Project and selected with type: connector and id. |
Inside the loop; the model calls its tools automatically. |
| MCP servers | Your own remote MCP server, connected with type: mcp. |
Inside the loop; the model calls its tools automatically. |
| Custom functions | Functions you control, declared with a JSON Schema. | Paused back to you; you run the call and return the result. |
Built-in tools
Section titled “Built-in tools”Enable each by its type. Every tool has its own reference page for full settings, response shape, and pricing.
| Tool | type |
Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Web Search | web_search |
Search the live web, with domain/date/location filters |
| Sandbox | sandbox |
Run code in an isolated container |
| Fetch URL Content | fetch_url |
Pull and extract content from specific URLs |
| Finance Search | finance_search |
Retrieve structured financial and market data |
| People Search | people_search |
Find professionals and people |