The Perplexity CLI and RAG

6 August, 2025

📋 Project Overview Perplexity CLI is a powerful command-line interface for Perplexity AI that features ultra-fast RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) capabilities. It enables users to search through their notes and chat history in milliseconds using cutting-edge vector search technology.

🚀 Key Features

1. Fast RAG System

• Lightning-fast semantic search across all content using BGE embeddings and sqlite-vec
• Intelligent hybrid search combining vector similarity and keyword search with Reciprocal Rank Fusion
• Unified knowledge base for searching notes and chat history together
• Seamless migration from existing data to the new RAG system

2. AI Integration

• Direct Perplexity AI integration with multiple models (Sonar, Reasoning, Deep Research)
• Advanced note management with local storage and AI-powered semantic search
• Complete chat history tracking, analysis, and export capabilities
• Rich analytics with detailed usage statistics

3. Technical Excellence

• BGE Embeddings: State-of-the-art models (small: 62.17 MTEB, base: 63.55 MTEB, large: 64.23 MTEB)
• SQLite + sqlite-vec: High-performance vector database
• Smart chunking: Automatic text segmentation with overlap
• Performance optimizations: Quantization, caching, batch processing

💻 Installation & Setup

# Install from PyPI
pip install pplx-cli

# Setup API key
perplexity setup

# Migrate existing data (recommended)
perplexity rag-migrate

# Start searching
perplexity rag "your query"

🎯 Core Commands

RAG Commands (Recommended)

# Search all content
perplexity rag "machine learning concepts"

# Migrate existing data
perplexity rag-migrate

# View database stats
perplexity rag-stats

# Configure RAG
perplexity rag-config --show

Traditional Commands

# Chat with AI
perplexity ask "What is the capital of France?"

# View chat history
perplexity history

# Manage notes
perplexity note --title "My Note" --content "Note content"

📊 Performance Benchmarks

• Search 10,000 documents: < 100ms
• Index 1,000 documents: < 5 seconds
• Memory usage: < 512MB for typical workloads
• Embedding generation: 200+ texts/second

🔧 Architecture

• Poetry: Dependency management
• Typer: CLI framework
• SQLite + sqlite-vec: Vector database
• BGE Embeddings: Semantic search
• Hybrid Search: Best of vector + keyword search

🎨 Use Cases

• Developers: Search code discussions, debug sessions, learning notes
• Researchers: Find methodology notes, literature reviews, experiment logs
• Knowledge Workers: Locate project info, meeting notes, decisions
• Students: Search study materials, lecture notes, research papers

🌟 Why Choose Perplexity CLI?

• ✅ Completely local: Data never leaves your machine
• ✅ Ultra-fast search: 10x faster than text-based search
• ✅ Production-ready: Enterprise-grade architecture
• ✅ Easy migration: Automatic import of existing data
• ✅ Active development: Regular updates with latest AI technology
• ✅ Open source: Full transparency and customization

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! The project is open to enhancements in:

• New embedding models
• Advanced search algorithms
• Export integrations
• Performance optimizations

🌐 Links

• Documentation: xerexcoded.github.io/pplx-cli-landing/
• Repository: github.com/xerexcoded/pplx-cli
• Topics: AI, terminal-based, Typer, LLM, Perplexity AI

This project is perfect for anyone who wants their accumulated knowledge to be instantly searchable and actionable, transforming the CLI into a powerful personal knowledge assistant.