---
title: "Can Perplexity API return search results separately from its written answer?"  
description: "Can Perplexity API return search results separately from its written answer?"  
author: "Lea Hartmann"  
published: 2026-10-15  
updated: 2026-10-15  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162400/can-perplexity-api-return-search-results-separately-from-its-written-answer  
category: "Perplexity API"  
tags: ["Perplexity", "api(s)", "Web search"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# Can Perplexity API return search results separately from its written answer?

I’m testing Perplexity for a research workflow where I need both a readable summary and the underlying results in a form my application can inspect. I can see citations in an answer, but I’m not sure whether the API exposes the search results as distinct data or mainly returns a synthesized response with references.

For anyone who has built with it, how much control do you get over the **raw search results** and their metadata? I’m especially curious whether they can be stored or processed independently from the [generated answer](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/117028/how-do-you-implement-streaming-ai-responses-in-aspnet-core-so-users-see-the-answer-as-it-is-generated).


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162400/can-perplexity-api-return-search-results-separately-from-its-written-answer

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