# Perplexity with the Vercel AI SDK

## Overview

The [Vercel AI SDK](https://ai-sdk.dev) is a TypeScript toolkit for building AI apps — Next.js and React — with streaming primitives and UI hooks like `useChat`.
Reach the [Agent API](/guides/agent-api-quickstart) through the [`@ai-sdk/open-responses`](https://ai-sdk.dev/providers/ai-sdk-providers/open-responses) provider, pointed at Perplexity's `/v1/responses` endpoint, to get a native AI SDK model you can pass to `generateText`, `streamText`, and `useChat`.

:::callout{intent="info"}
Create the provider on the server — a Next.js Route Handler, Server Action, or API route — so `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY` never reaches the browser.
:::

## Installation

:::code-group
```bash pnpm theme={null}
pnpm add ai @ai-sdk/open-responses
```

```bash npm theme={null}
npm install ai @ai-sdk/open-responses
```
:::

## API Key Setup

```bash theme={null}
export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
```

:::card{title="Get API Key" href="https://console.perplexity.ai/project/keys" icon="key"}
Generate your Perplexity API key from the API portal.
:::

## Quickstart

Create the provider with `createOpenResponses`, point it at `/v1/responses`, and call `generateText`.

```typescript theme={null}
import { createOpenResponses } from "@ai-sdk/open-responses";
import { generateText } from "ai";

const perplexity = createOpenResponses({
  name: "perplexity",
  url: "https://api.perplexity.ai/v1/responses",
  apiKey: process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY,
});

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: perplexity("openai/gpt-5.6-sol"),
  prompt: "Explain the difference between supervised and unsupervised learning.",
});

console.log(text);
```

## Web-Grounded Answers

Add the [`web_search`](/guides/agent-api-tools-web-search) tool to ground answers in real-time results from Perplexity's web search — the same search that powers Perplexity's own answer engine.
The provider sends a fixed request body and does not expose the Agent API's built-in tools as first-class options, so enable `web_search` by adding it to the body in the provider's `fetch` hook.

```typescript theme={null}
import { createOpenResponses } from "@ai-sdk/open-responses";
import { generateText } from "ai";

// The provider doesn't surface sources on the result, so capture them in the hook.
let sources = [];

const perplexity = createOpenResponses({
  name: "perplexity",
  url: "https://api.perplexity.ai/v1/responses",
  apiKey: process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY,
  fetch: async (url, options) => {
    const body = JSON.parse(options.body as string);
    // Enable the built-in web_search tool by adding it to the request body.
    body.tools = [{ type: "web_search" }];
    const response = await fetch(url, { ...options, body: JSON.stringify(body) });

    // Sources arrive as a separate `search_results` item in the response `output` array.
    // (Skip for streaming, where the body is an event stream rather than JSON.)
    if (!body.stream) {
      const raw = await response.clone().json();
      sources = raw.output
        .filter((item) => item.type === "search_results")
        .flatMap((item) => item.results); // each: { title, url, snippet, date, ... }
    }

    return response;
  },
});

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: perplexity("openai/gpt-5.6-sol"),
  prompt: "What are the latest breakthroughs in fusion energy this year?",
});

console.log(text);

for (const source of sources) {
  console.log(source.title, source.url);
}
```

The answer is grounded server-side, but `@ai-sdk/open-responses` does not surface the sources on the result — `result.sources` is empty.
That's why the `fetch` hook reads them from the raw `search_results` item in the response `output` array.
See [Reading Sources from the Response](/guides/agent-api-prompt-guide) for the full response shape.

## Presets

[Presets](/guides/agent-api-presets) bundle a model, tools, and a tuned system prompt for a use case, so you don't wire them up yourself.
Set `preset` on the request body in the same `fetch` hook — a preset already includes `web_search`, so you don't add tools separately.

```typescript theme={null}
// In the fetch hook, set a preset instead of adding tools:
body.preset = "fast"; // fast | low | medium | high | xhigh
```

:::callout{intent="tip"}
Presets scale from `fast` (single-fact lookups) to `xhigh` (open-ended, agentic work with code execution in a sandbox).
See the [presets guide](/guides/agent-api-presets) to pick the right one.
:::

## Streaming

Use `streamText` for token-by-token output.
In a Next.js Route Handler, return `result.toUIMessageStreamResponse()` and render it on the client with `useChat`.

```typescript theme={null}
import { streamText } from "ai";

// Reuse the `perplexity` provider created above.
const result = streamText({
  model: perplexity("openai/gpt-5.6-sol"),
  prompt: "What are the latest breakthroughs in fusion energy this year?",
});

for await (const chunk of result.textStream) {
  process.stdout.write(chunk);
}
```

## Supported Models

Pass any [Agent API model](/guides/agent-api-models) to the provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, and more — all routed through your single Perplexity key.

```typescript theme={null}
perplexity("openai/gpt-5.6-sol");
perplexity("google/gemini-3-flash-preview");
perplexity("xai/grok-4.5");
```

:::card{title="Agent API Models" href="/guides/agent-api-models" icon="sparkles"}
Browse every available model and its pricing.
:::

## Links & Resources

::::card-grid
:::card{title="Open Responses Provider" href="https://ai-sdk.dev/providers/ai-sdk-providers/open-responses" icon="plug"}
Configure the AI SDK provider used on this page.
:::

:::card{title="Agent API Quickstart" href="/guides/agent-api-quickstart" icon="bolt"}
Build with Agent API models, tools, and presets.
:::

:::card{title="Web Search Tool" href="/guides/agent-api-tools-web-search" icon="magnifying-glass"}
Ground answers in Perplexity's real-time web search.
:::

:::card{title="Vercel AI SDK Docs" href="https://ai-sdk.dev/docs" icon="globe"}
Core generation APIs and UI hooks.
:::
::::

## Support

Need help with the integration?

- Browse the [Vercel AI SDK documentation](https://ai-sdk.dev/docs)
- Review our [FAQ](/guides/resources-faq)

## Related pages

- [Perplexity with AG2](./resources-getting-started-integrations-ag2.md)
- [Perplexity with Agno](./resources-getting-started-integrations-agno.md)
- [Perplexity MCP Server for Google Antigravity](./resources-getting-started-integrations-antigravity.md)
- [Perplexity with AnythingLLM](./resources-getting-started-integrations-anythingllm.md)
- [Perplexity with CAMEL-AI](./resources-getting-started-integrations-camel.md)
- [Perplexity with Claude Code](./resources-getting-started-integrations-claude-code.md)
- [Perplexity with Composio](./resources-getting-started-integrations-composio.md)
- [Perplexity with Cursor](./resources-getting-started-integrations-cursor.md)
- [Perplexity with Haystack](./resources-getting-started-integrations-haystack.md)
- [Perplexity web search in Hermes](./resources-getting-started-integrations-hermes.md)

# Agent Instructions

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