# Jeremylongshore Claude Code Plugins Plus Skills Perplexity Cost Tuning > Perplexity Cost Tuning - Skill: `tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-perplexity-c` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-perplexity-c` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-perplexity-c/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-perplexity-c --- # Perplexity Cost Tuning ## Overview Reduce Perplexity Sonar API costs. Perplexity charges per-token (input + output) plus a per-request fee that varies by search context size. The biggest cost lever is model selection: `sonar-pro` costs 3-15x more than `sonar` per request. ## Pricing Reference | Model | Input $/M tokens | Output $/M tokens | Request Fee | |-------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------| | `sonar` | $1 | $1 | $5 per 1K requests | | `sonar-pro` | $3 | $15 | $5 per 1K requests | | `sonar-reasoning-pro` | $3 | $15 | $5 per 1K requests | | `sonar-deep-research` | $2 | $8 | $5 per 1K searches | Search context size (Low/Medium/High) affects the request fee. More context = higher fee. ## Prerequisites - Perplexity API account with usage dashboard - Understanding of query patterns in your application - Cache infrastructure for search results ## Instructions ### Step 1: Route Queries to the Right Model ```typescript // 60-70% of queries can use sonar, saving 3-15x per query function selectModel(query: string): "sonar" | "sonar-pro" { const simplePatterns = [ /^what is/i, /^define/i, /^who is/i, /^when did/i, /current price/i, /^how many/i, /^is it true/i, ]; if (simplePatterns.some((p) => p.test(query))) return "sonar"; const complexPatterns = [ /compare.*vs/i, /analysis of/i, /comprehensive/i, /pros and cons/i, /in-depth/i, /research/i, ]; if (complexPatterns.some((p) => p.test(query))) return "sonar-pro"; return "sonar"; // Default to cheapest } ``` ### Step 2: Limit Output Tokens ```bash set -euo pipefail # Factual queries need ~100 tokens, not 4096 # Setting max_tokens dramatically reduces output costs # Simple fact: 100 tokens = $0.0001 output curl -X POST https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $PERPLEXITY_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "sonar", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Current population of Tokyo"}], "max_tokens": 100 }' # Research query: keep at 2048 only when needed curl -X POST https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $PERPLEXITY_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "sonar-pro", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Compare React vs Vue in 2025 for enterprise apps"}], "max_tokens": 2048 }' ``` ### Step 3: Cache to Eliminate Duplicate Queries ```typescript import { LRUCache } from "lru-cache"; import { createHash } from "crypto"; const searchCache = new LRUCache({ max: 10000, ttl: 4 * 3600_000, // 4-hour default TTL }); async function cachedQuery(query: string, model: string) { const key = createHash("sha256") .update(`${model}:${query.toLowerCase().trim()}`) .digest("hex"); const cached = searchCache.get(key); if (cached) return cached; // $0 cost const result = await perplexity.chat.completions.create({ model, messages: [{ role: "user", content: query }], }); searchCache.set(key, result); return result; } // Track cache effectiveness function cacheStats() { return { size: searchCache.size, hitRate: `${((searchCache as any).hits / ((searchCache as any).hits + (searchCache as any).misses) * 100).toFixed(1)}%`, }; } ``` ### Step 4: Use Domain Filters to Reduce Search Cost ```bash set -euo pipefail # Restricting search domains = less content to process = lower request fee curl -X POST https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $PERPLEXITY_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "sonar", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Python 3.13 release notes"}], "search_domain_filter": ["python.org", "docs.python.org"], "max_tokens": 500 }' ``` ### Step 5: Track and Budget ```typescript class CostTracker { private costs: Array<{ model: string; tokens: number; timestamp: Date }> = []; record(model: string, usage: { total_tokens: number }) { this.costs.push({ model, tokens: usage.total_tokens, timestamp: new Date(), }); } dailySummary() { const today = this.costs.filter( (c) => c.timestamp.toDateString() === new Date().toDateString() ); const sonarTokens = today.filter((c) => c.model === "sonar").reduce((s, c) => s + c.tokens, 0); const proTokens = today.filter((c) => c.model === "sonar-pro").reduce((s, c) => s + c.tokens, 0); return { queries: today.length, estimatedCost: (sonarTokens * 0.000001) + (proTokens * 0.000009), // rough estimate sonarQueries: today.filter((c) => c.model === "sonar").length, proQueries: today.filter((c) => c.model === "sonar-pro").length, }; } } ``` ## Cost Optimization Checklist - [ ] Default model is `sonar` (not `sonar-pro`) - [ ] `max_tokens` set on every request - [ ] Caching enabled for repeated queries - [ ] Model routing by query complexity - [ ] Domain filter used where applicable - [ ] Monthly budget cap set on API key - [ ] Cost tracking in production monitoring ## Error Handling | Issue | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | High cost per query | Using sonar-pro for everything | Route simple queries to sonar | | Low cache hit rate | Queries too unique | Normalize queries before hashing | | Budget exhausted early | No spending caps | Set monthly budget on API key | | Unexpectedly high bill | No max_tokens limits | Set max_tokens on all requests | ## Output - Model routing saving 60-70% on simple queries - Token limiting reducing output costs - Caching eliminating duplicate query costs - Cost tracking for budget monitoring ## Resources - [Perplexity Pricing](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/getting-started/pricing) - [Model Cards](https://docs.perplexity.ai/getting-started/models) ## Next Steps For architecture patterns, see `perplexity-reference-architecture`. --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/jeremylongshore) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.