Tools overview

The tools an Agent API run can call - Perplexity-hosted built-in tools, remote MCP servers, and your own custom functions - and where to go for each.

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

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; calls run without approval by default. Use approvals to review calls before they run.
MCP servers	Your own remote MCP server, connected with type: mcp.	Inside the loop; calls run without approval by default. Use approvals to review calls before they run.
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

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
Image Search	image_search	Find structured image results, with domain, format, and safe-search 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

Bring your own

MCP servers

Connect a remote MCP server with type: mcp. Calls run without approval by default; set require_approval to review calls before they run.

Custom functions

Declare a type: function tool with a JSON Schema and run the call on your side.