> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.scrapellm.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Perplexity
> Extract structured data from the Perplexity AI web interface - numbered citations, source snippets, and follow-up questions - as clean JSON.
**Web search on by default**
Web search is enabled for all requests. Set `web_search=false` for a faster answer without live citations.
## Overview
Perplexity is a research-first AI that cites every claim with a numbered source. Use this endpoint to monitor brand mentions in AI search, track which sources Perplexity trusts for your industry, and extract follow-up questions as content and keyword ideas.
## Unique features
* **Numbered citations**: Every source is numbered and mapped to inline `[1][2]` references in the response text
* **Source snippets**: Full text excerpts from each cited page - not just the URL
* **Related questions**: Perplexity's suggested follow-up questions for further research
## Example request
```bash cURL theme={null}
# Streaming can take up to 300s - --max-time matches the server timeout
curl --max-time 300 \
-G "https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity" \
--data-urlencode "api_key=YOUR_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode "prompt=What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?" \
--data-urlencode "country=US"
```
```python Python theme={null}
import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity",
headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
params={
"prompt": "What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?",
"country": "US",
}
)
print(response.json())
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
const params = new URLSearchParams({
prompt: "What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?",
country: "US",
});
const response = await fetch(
`https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity?${params}`,
{ headers: { "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
);
const data = await response.json();
```
## Response schema
Includes [common response fields](/guides/making-requests#common-response-fields) plus:
| Field | Type | Description |
| ------------------- | ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `result` | string | Plain-text response. Inline citation markers like `[1]` map to positions in `sources[]` |
| `result_markdown` | string | Markdown-formatted response |
| `sources` | array | Cited web sources - each has `title`, `url`, and `snippet` |
| `sources[].title` | string | Article title of the cited page |
| `sources[].url` | string | URL of the cited source |
| `sources[].snippet` | string | Text excerpt from the source page |
| `related_questions` | array | Perplexity's suggested follow-up questions |
| `credits_used` | integer | Credits consumed - always `3` for Perplexity |
| `elapsed_ms` | float | End-to-end request duration in milliseconds |
| `cached` | boolean | `true` if served from cache |
## Common questions
### How do inline citation numbers map to sources?
The `result` field contains inline markers like `[1][2]`. The number is the 1-based position of the source in the `sources[]` array - `[1]` refers to `sources[0]`, `[2]` to `sources[1]`, and so on.
### When should I set `web_search=false`?
When you need a fast, low-latency answer and don't need cited sources - for example, generating summaries or using Perplexity as a general-purpose language model. Responses without web search are typically 2–4× faster.
### How is Perplexity different from ChatGPT for citation monitoring?
Perplexity returns richer source metadata (full text snippets per source) and uses numbered inline citations that map directly to positions in the response text. ChatGPT returns `links[]` which are sources mentioned but not always position-mapped.
## OpenAPI
````yaml GET /scrapers/perplexity
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
title: ScrapeLLM — Perplexity Scraper
version: 1.0.0
description: >
Scrape the real Perplexity AI web interface via ScrapeLLM's browser pool.
Returns the
full response — including numbered inline citations, web sources with
snippets, and
suggested follow-up questions — as structured JSON.
**Base URL:** `https://api.scrapellm.com`
**Credits:** 3 per request · 500 free credits · No credit card required
Get your API key at [scrapellm.com/signup](https://scrapellm.com/signup).
contact:
email: hello@scrapellm.com
url: https://scrapellm.com
license:
name: ScrapeLLM Terms of Service
url: https://scrapellm.com/terms
servers:
- url: https://api.scrapellm.com
description: Production
security:
- ApiKeyHeader: []
- ApiKeyQuery: []
tags:
- name: Perplexity Scraper
description: Submit prompts to Perplexity AI and receive structured responses.
paths:
/scrapers/perplexity:
get:
tags:
- Perplexity Scraper
summary: Send a Perplexity Scraping Request
description: >
Send a prompt to Perplexity AI via a pool of real browsers and get the
full response
as structured JSON. Blocks until Perplexity responds or `timeout` is
reached.
Responses include the plain-text answer with inline citation markers
(e.g. `[1][2]`),
a Markdown-formatted version, the web sources behind those citations,
and Perplexity's
suggested follow-up questions.
**Authentication** — pass your API key via the `X-API-Key` header or as
`?api_key=`
in the URL.
operationId: scrapePerplexity
parameters:
- name: prompt
in: query
required: true
description: The prompt to send to Perplexity. Maximum 4,000 characters.
schema:
type: string
minLength: 1
maxLength: 4000
example: What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?
- name: country
in: query
required: false
description: >
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. Routes the request through
infrastructure in
that region for localised responses. Defaults to `US`.
schema:
type: string
minLength: 2
maxLength: 2
default: US
example: US
- name: web_search
in: query
required: false
description: >
Enable live web search in Perplexity's response. Set to `false` for
a faster,
non-search answer based on training data only. Defaults to `true`.
schema:
type: boolean
default: true
- name: bypass_cache
in: query
required: false
description: Skip the response cache and always fetch a fresh result.
schema:
type: boolean
default: false
- name: timeout
in: query
required: false
description: >-
Maximum seconds to wait for Perplexity to respond. Must be between
10 and 600.
schema:
type: number
format: float
minimum: 10
maximum: 600
default: 300
responses:
'200':
description: Scrape completed successfully.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/PerplexityScrapeResponse'
example:
scraper: perplexity
status: done
job_id: job_abc123
prompt: What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?
country: US
result: >-
Marketers commonly recommend Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo
[1][2]...
result_markdown: >-
Marketers commonly recommend **Mailchimp**, **HubSpot**, and
**Klaviyo** [1][2]...
sources:
- title: Best Email Marketing Platforms 2025
snippet: >-
We tested 12 tools across deliverability, automation, and
pricing...
url: https://example.com/email-marketing-comparison
related_questions:
- What is the best email automation tool for e-commerce?
- How does Klaviyo compare to Mailchimp?
credits_used: 3
elapsed_ms: 9142.3
cached: false
markdown_url: https://scrapellm.com/md/job_abc123.md
'401':
description: Missing or invalid API key.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
example:
detail: >-
Missing API key. Pass your key in the X-API-Key header or as
?api_key= in the URL.
'408':
description: Perplexity did not respond within the timeout period.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
'429':
description: Credit limit reached or scraper queue is full — retry shortly.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
'500':
description: Scraper returned an unexpected error — safe to retry.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
'503':
description: Scraper pool is still warming up — retry in a few seconds.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
'504':
description: Network timeout reaching the scraper machine.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
x-codeSamples:
- lang: Shell
label: cURL
source: >
# Streaming can take up to 300s - --max-time matches the server
timeout
curl --max-time 300 \
-G "https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity" \
--data-urlencode "api_key=YOUR_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode "prompt=What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?" \
--data-urlencode "country=US"
- lang: Python
label: Python
source: |
import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity",
params={
"api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
"prompt": "What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?",
"country": "US",
}
)
print(response.json())
- lang: JavaScript
label: JavaScript
source: |
const params = new URLSearchParams({
api_key: "YOUR_API_KEY",
prompt: "What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?",
country: "US",
});
const response = await fetch(
`https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity?${params}`
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
- lang: TypeScript
label: TypeScript
source: |
const params = new URLSearchParams({
api_key: "YOUR_API_KEY",
prompt: "What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?",
country: "US",
});
const response = await fetch(
`https://api.scrapellm.com/scrapers/perplexity?${params}`
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
components:
schemas:
PerplexityScrapeResponse:
type: object
required:
- scraper
- status
- job_id
- prompt
- country
- result
- credits_used
- elapsed_ms
- cached
properties:
scraper:
type: string
description: Always `"perplexity"`.
example: perplexity
status:
type: string
description: '`"done"` on success.'
example: done
job_id:
type: string
description: Unique identifier for this scrape job.
example: job_abc123
prompt:
type: string
description: The prompt that was submitted.
example: What brands do marketers recommend for email automation?
country:
type: string
description: The country the request was routed through.
example: US
result:
type: string
description: >
Plain-text response from Perplexity, with inline citation markers
(e.g. `[1][2]`)
corresponding to positions in `sources`.
example: >-
Marketers commonly recommend Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo
[1][2]...
result_markdown:
type: string
nullable: true
description: >-
Markdown-formatted response from Perplexity with inline citation
markers.
example: >-
Marketers commonly recommend **Mailchimp**, **HubSpot**, and
**Klaviyo** [1][2]...
sources:
type: array
description: >
Web sources cited by Perplexity. The position in this array
corresponds to the
numbered inline citations in `result` and `result_markdown`.
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/PerplexitySource'
related_questions:
type: array
description: Follow-up questions suggested by Perplexity.
items:
type: string
example:
- What is the best email automation tool for e-commerce?
- How does Klaviyo compare to Mailchimp?
credits_used:
type: integer
description: Credits consumed by this request. Always `3` for Perplexity.
example: 3
elapsed_ms:
type: number
format: float
description: Total end-to-end request duration in milliseconds.
example: 9142.3
cached:
type: boolean
description: '`true` if this response was served from cache.'
example: false
markdown_url:
type: string
nullable: true
description: |
Hosted `.md` URL for this response. Expires after 24 hours.
example: https://scrapellm.com/md/job_abc123.md
ErrorResponse:
type: object
required:
- detail
properties:
detail:
type: string
description: Human-readable description of the error.
example: Invalid API key.
PerplexitySource:
type: object
required:
- title
- url
properties:
title:
type: string
description: Title of the cited web page.
example: Best Email Marketing Platforms 2025
snippet:
type: string
nullable: true
description: Excerpt from the cited page as shown by Perplexity.
example: We tested 12 tools across deliverability, automation, and pricing...
url:
type: string
format: uri
description: Absolute URL of the cited source.
example: https://example.com/email-marketing-comparison
securitySchemes:
ApiKeyHeader:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: X-API-Key
description: Your ScrapeLLM API key passed in the request header.
ApiKeyQuery:
type: apiKey
in: query
name: api_key
description: Your ScrapeLLM API key passed as a query parameter.
````