Agent skill
perplexity-multi-env-setup
Configure Perplexity Sonar API across development, staging, and production environments. Use when setting up multi-environment search integrations, managing API keys per environment, or controlling cost through model routing by env. Trigger with phrases like "perplexity environments", "perplexity staging", "perplexity dev prod", "perplexity environment config".
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills/tree/main/plugins/saas-packs/perplexity-pack/skills/perplexity-multi-env-setup
SKILL.md
Perplexity Multi-Environment Setup
Overview
Configure Perplexity Sonar API across dev/staging/prod. Key decisions per environment: which models are allowed (sonar vs sonar-pro), rate limits, and cost caps. All environments use the same base URL (https://api.perplexity.ai) but different API keys with different budget limits.
Environment Strategy
| Environment | Model | Rate Limit | Key Source | Monthly Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development | sonar only |
5 RPM self-imposed | .env.local |
$10 |
| Staging | sonar only |
20 RPM | CI secrets | $50 |
| Production | sonar + sonar-pro |
50 RPM | Secret manager | $500+ |
Prerequisites
- Separate Perplexity API keys per environment
openaipackage installed- Secret management (env files for dev, vault/KMS for prod)
Instructions
Step 1: Configuration Structure
config/
perplexity/
base.ts # OpenAI client + base URL
development.ts # Dev: sonar only, low limits
staging.ts # Staging: sonar only, moderate limits
production.ts # Prod: full model access
index.ts # Environment resolver
Step 2: Base Configuration
// config/perplexity/base.ts
import OpenAI from "openai";
export const PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL = "https://api.perplexity.ai";
export function createPerplexityClient(apiKey: string): OpenAI {
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Perplexity API key is required");
if (!apiKey.startsWith("pplx-")) throw new Error("Invalid Perplexity API key format");
return new OpenAI({ apiKey, baseURL: PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL });
}
Step 3: Environment Configs
// config/perplexity/development.ts
export const devConfig = {
apiKey: process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY!,
defaultModel: "sonar" as const,
deepModel: "sonar" as const, // No sonar-pro in dev (cost)
maxTokens: 512,
maxConcurrentRequests: 1,
cacheTTLMs: 24 * 3600_000, // Long cache in dev
};
// config/perplexity/staging.ts
export const stagingConfig = {
apiKey: process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_STAGING!,
defaultModel: "sonar" as const,
deepModel: "sonar" as const, // Keep sonar in staging
maxTokens: 1024,
maxConcurrentRequests: 2,
cacheTTLMs: 4 * 3600_000,
};
// config/perplexity/production.ts
export const productionConfig = {
apiKey: process.env.PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_PROD!,
defaultModel: "sonar" as const, // Fast queries use sonar
deepModel: "sonar-pro" as const, // Research queries use sonar-pro
maxTokens: 4096,
maxConcurrentRequests: 10,
cacheTTLMs: 1 * 3600_000, // Shorter cache in prod (freshness)
};
Step 4: Environment Resolver
// config/perplexity/index.ts
import { createPerplexityClient } from "./base";
import { devConfig } from "./development";
import { stagingConfig } from "./staging";
import { productionConfig } from "./production";
type SearchDepth = "quick" | "deep";
const configs = {
development: devConfig,
staging: stagingConfig,
production: productionConfig,
};
export function getConfig() {
const env = process.env.NODE_ENV || "development";
const config = configs[env as keyof typeof configs];
if (!config) throw new Error(`Unknown environment: ${env}`);
if (!config.apiKey) throw new Error(`PERPLEXITY_API_KEY not set for ${env}`);
return config;
}
export function getClient() {
return createPerplexityClient(getConfig().apiKey);
}
export function getModelForDepth(depth: SearchDepth): string {
const cfg = getConfig();
return depth === "deep" ? cfg.deepModel : cfg.defaultModel;
}
Step 5: Usage with Environment-Aware Search
// lib/search.ts
import { getClient, getModelForDepth, getConfig } from "../config/perplexity";
export async function search(query: string, depth: "quick" | "deep" = "quick") {
const client = getClient();
const model = getModelForDepth(depth);
const config = getConfig();
const result = await client.chat.completions.create({
model,
messages: [
{ role: "system", content: "Provide accurate, well-sourced answers." },
{ role: "user", content: query },
],
max_tokens: depth === "deep" ? config.maxTokens : Math.min(512, config.maxTokens),
});
return {
answer: result.choices[0].message.content,
citations: (result as any).citations || [],
model,
environment: process.env.NODE_ENV,
usage: result.usage,
};
}
Step 6: Secret Manager Integration (Production)
set -euo pipefail
# Google Cloud Secret Manager
gcloud secrets create perplexity-api-key-prod \
--data-file=<(echo -n "$PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_PROD")
# AWS Secrets Manager
aws secretsmanager create-secret \
--name perplexity/api-key-prod \
--secret-string "$PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_PROD"
# HashiCorp Vault
vault kv put secret/perplexity api_key="$PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_PROD"
Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
401 in staging |
Wrong API key for environment | Verify PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_STAGING |
429 in dev |
Exceeding self-imposed limit | Add request queuing |
| sonar-pro in dev | Config not restricting models | Set deepModel: "sonar" in dev config |
| High dev costs | Using production config locally | Ensure NODE_ENV=development is set |
Output
- Environment-specific Perplexity configurations
- Model routing by environment and query depth
- Secret manager integration for production keys
- Cost controls per environment
Resources
Next Steps
For deployment configuration, see perplexity-deploy-integration.
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