Describe the Bug
Results from the Search API do not match the results I see being returned for the same raw query when using the Perplexity API or app. To be clear, I’ll ask sonar or sonar to search for something, look at the query it generates, and then pass that same query to the search API, and I’m not getting the results I expect.
Expected Behavior
I expect matching or somewhat consistent results between the two; as of right now, the search API is not useful because it doesn’t return the results I’m expecting.
Actual Behavior
The results returned by the search API are missing the relevant results found by the model.
Steps to Reproduce
- Ask Sonar for “Vagn Holmboe - Requiem for Nietzsche on Apple Music URL only”.
- The model will search for “Vagn Holmboe Requiem for Nietzsche Apple Music URL”
- The results returned include relevant Apple Music URLs when Sonar makes the query, but not when the search API is used directly.
API Request & Response (if applicable)
Environment
- API Version: Just default
sonar - SDK (if applicable): Python SDK 0.20.1
- Operating System: macOS
Logs or Screenshots (if applicable)
From a couple of command line wrapper tools I’m using:
% perplexity-search --verbose --max-results 5 --json “Vagn Holmboe Requiem for Nietzsche Apple Music URL”
— Search options —
{
“query”: “Vagn Holmboe Requiem for Nietzsche Apple Music URL”,
“max_results”: 5,
“max_tokens_per_page”: 1
}
{
“id”: “d7fa84b8-3bff-45d5-9456-78d84002b1c7”,
“results”: [
{
“snippet”: “”,
“title”: “Vagn Holmboe - Apple Music”,
“url”: “``https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vagn-holmboe/75231888”``,
“date”: “2024-01-27”,
“last_updated”: “2025-09-05”
},
{
“snippet”: “”,
“title”: “Requiem for Nietzsche / Vagn Holmboe”,
“url”: “``https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as_de6nzvY8”``,
“date”: “2017-01-20”,
“last_updated”: “2025-11-30”
},
{
“snippet”: “”,
“title”: “Requiem for Nietzsche | Vagn Holmboe”,
“url”: “``https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/21521/Requiem-for-Nietzsche--Vagn-Holmboe/”``,
“date”: “2025-01-01”,
“last_updated”: “2025-11-30”
},
{
“snippet”: “”,
“title”: “Notations von Vagn Holmboe (M. 298, Op. 140) – Apple Music Classical”,
“url”: “``https://classical.music.apple.com/de/work/vagn-holmboe-1909-pp301”``,
“date”: “2019-01-01”,
“last_updated”: “2025-11-19”
},
{
“snippet”: “”,
“title”: “Vagn Holmboe - Wikipedia”,
“url”: “``https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagn_Holmboe”``,
“date”: “2025-04-08”,
“last_updated”: “2025-04-08”
}
],
“server_time”: null
}
% perplexity --verbose --search-type auto “Vagn Holmboe Requiem for Nietzsche Apple Music URL”
— Chunk 0 —
object: chat.reasoning
id: 8dbcb6a1-f19c-4c86-9bae-b6171c1e2a9a
finish_reason: None
delta.content: ‘’
delta.role: assistant
delta.reasoning_steps: [ReasoningStep(thought=“Searching for the Apple Music link to Vagn Holmboe’s Requiem for Nietzsche.”, agent_progress=None, browser_agent=None, browser_tool_execution=None, execute_python=None, fetch_url_content=None, file_attachment_search=None, type=‘web_search’, web_search=ReasoningStepWebSearch(search_keywords=[‘Vagn Holmboe Requiem for Nietzsche Apple Music’, ‘Vagn Holmboe Requiem Nietzsche streaming’], search_results=[APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Vagn Holmboe, Michael Schønwandt, Danish National Symphony …’, url=‘``https://naxos.lnk.to/8224207’``, date=None, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=“Vagn Holmboe’s “Requiem for Nietzsche” | THE ART MUSIC LOUNGE”, url=‘``https://artmusiclounge.wordpress.com/2024/08/21/vagn-holmboes-requiem-for-nietzsche/’``, date=‘2024-08-21’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eHolmboe: Requiem for Nietzsche by Danish National Choir - Apple …’, url=‘``https://classical.music.apple.com/us/album/385619109’``, date=‘2002-07-29’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Requiem for Nietzsche / Vagn Holmboe - YouTube’, url=‘``https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as_de6nzvY8’``, date=‘2017-01-20’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eHolmboe, V.: Key Masterpieces (The) - Requiem for Nietzsche …’, url=‘``https://classical.music.apple.com/in/album/337057489’``, date=‘2009-08-01’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Requiem for Nietzsche | Opus Classical’, url=‘``https://opusclassical.net/composer/holmboe/work/4656’``, date=None, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eRequiem for Nietzsche, Op. 84: Part Four: Ecce Homo … - Apple Music’, url=‘``https://music.apple.com/ru/song/requiem-for-nietzsche-op-84-part-four-ecce-homo-weimar/337058048?l=en-GB’``, date=‘2002-07-29’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Requiem for Nietzsche | Vagn Holmboe - Wise Music Classical’, url=‘``https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/21521/Requiem-for-Nietzsche--Vagn-Holmboe/’``, date=‘2025-01-01’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eHolmboe: Requiem for Nietzsche de Danish National Symphony …’, url=‘``https://classical.music.apple.com/es/album/385619109’``, date=‘2002-01-01’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Album by Vagn Holmboe - Requiem for Nietzsche - Spotify’, url=‘``https://open.spotify.com/album/6X0yisBPduiWWxlCAk3Tmc’``, date=None, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Holmboe: Requiem for Nietzsche - Johan Reuter - Apple Music’, url=‘``https://music.apple.com/cm/album/holmboe-requiem-for-nietzsche/385619109’``, date=‘2002-07-29’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Requiem for Nietzsche - Album by Vagn Holmboe | Spotify’, url=‘``https://open.spotify.com/album/5ZYhk9MkrOQ2UUP4dvzBhY’``, date=None, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eVagn Holmboe - Apple Music’, url=‘``https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vagn-holmboe/75231888’``, date=‘2024-01-27’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Requiem for Nietzsche- Part Five: Asgaardsreisen (The Wild Hunt)’, url=‘``https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILXR8UYhxTs’``, date=‘2012-05-03’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200eПесня «Requiem for Nietzsche, Op. 84: Part Four … - Apple Music’, url=‘``https://music.apple.com/ru/song/requiem-for-nietzsche-op-84-part-four-ecce-homo-weimar/337058048’``, date=‘2002-07-29’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘album - Presto Music | Streaming player’, url=‘``https://streaming.prestomusic.com/album/7981354’``, date=None, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘Holmboe: Complete Symphonies - Apple Music Classical’, url=‘``https://classical.music.apple.com/us/album/1727259348’``, date=‘1996-10-31’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’), APIPublicSearchResult(title=‘\u200e《Holmboe, V.: Key Masterpieces (The) - String Quartet No. 4’, url=‘``https://music.apple.com/us/album/holmboe-v-key-masterpieces-the-requiem-for-nietzsche/337057489?l=zh-Hans-CN’``, date=‘2009-08-01’, last_updated=None, snippet=‘’, source=‘web’)]))]
message.content: ‘’
Additional Context
Add any other context about the problem here.