Perplexity AI CLI

An enhanced command-line interface for interacting with Perplexity AI directly from your terminal.

Enhanced Version (v2.2.0) with gemini-cli inspired interactive experience, modern UI, and superior usability.

✨ Features

• 🚀 Enhanced Interactive Mode: Gemini-CLI inspired interface with modern UX
• 💬 Smart Conversations: Press Enter twice to send, conversation numbering
• 🎨 Beautiful Interface: Bordered welcome, progress spinners, formatted responses
• ⚡ Quick Query: Single-line questions for immediate answers
• 📚 Rich References: Access web sources with /refs command
• 🎨 Colored Output: Beautiful terminal formatting with animations
• 🔗 Slash Commands: /help, /clear, /refs, /quit for better control
• 🔒 Anonymous: No account required - uses anonymous API access
• 🌍 Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• 📦 pipx Ready: Optimized for isolated CLI tool installation

🚀 Installation Method

pipx is the best way to install Python CLI tools in isolated environments:

pipx install git+https://github.com/zahidoverflow/perplexity-cli.git

🔧 First-time Setup

If you don't have pipx installed, our installer will set it up automatically. Or install pipx manually:

# Windows
pip install --user pipx

# Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo apt install pipx

# Other Linux
pip install --user pipx

# macOS
brew install pipx

# Then ensure PATH is configured
pipx ensurepath

📖 Usage

Interactive Mode

$ perplexity-cli

Enhanced Interactive Commands

/help      # Show all interactive commands
/clear     # Clear the terminal screen
/refs      # Show references from last answer
/quit      # Exit gracefully  
/version   # Show version info

Quick Query Mode

# Ask a quick question
perplexity-cli "What is quantum computing?"
# or
pplx "How does machine learning work?"

# Multi-word questions (quotes recommended)
perplexity-cli "Explain the difference between AI and ML"

Command Options

perplexity-cli --version    # Show version information
perplexity-cli --help       # Show help message
pplx -v                     # Version (short alias)
pplx -h                     # Help (short alias)

📋 Requirements

• Python: 3.7 or higher
• Internet: Connection required for API access
• Dependencies: Automatically installed
  • websocket-client>=1.6.0
  • requests>=2.28.0

🔄 Management

Update to Latest Version

pipx upgrade perplexity-cli

List Installed CLI Apps

pipx list

Reinstall if Issues

pipx reinstall perplexity-cli

Clean Uninstall

pipx uninstall perplexity-cli

🐛 Troubleshooting

Command not found after installation

# Ensure pipx PATH is configured
pipx ensurepath

# Then restart your terminal or source your profile
source ~/.bashrc  # Linux/macOS
# or restart Command Prompt/PowerShell on Windows

pipx not found

# Install pipx first
pip install --user pipx

# Configure PATH
pipx ensurepath

# Restart terminal

Connection errors

• Check your internet connection
• Try again after a few seconds (rate limiting)
• Perplexity may have temporary API limitations

Installation from source fails

# Try installing with verbose output
pipx install -v git+https://github.com/zahidoverflow/perplexity-cli.git

# Or try pip fallback
pip install git+https://github.com/zahidoverflow/perplexity-cli.git

Python version issues

# Check Python version
python3 --version  # Should be 3.7+

# Update Python if needed (varies by system)
# macOS: brew install python
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install python3.9
# Windows: Download from python.org

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for a detailed history of changes and improvements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Original implementation inspired by HelpingAI
• Perplexity AI for providing the API
• Contributors and users who helped improve this tool

Vibecoding Note

This project was built with the assistance of Gemini, an AI developed by Google. As an independent security researcher, I used AI to accelerate development and learn best practices, but I have reviewed and understood the code to ensure it aligns with my skills and goals. This demonstrates my ability to leverage modern tools while building practical cybersecurity solutions.

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial CLI tool. Use responsibly and in accordance with Perplexity AI's terms of service.