Perplexity in a trench coat: an Electron wrapper with ambition

What it does

SimplexityAI wraps Perplexity’s web interface in an Electron container and bolts on native desktop conveniences: system tray minimization, global keyboard shortcuts for quick-searching highlighted text, auto-start on boot, and window state persistence. It is explicitly unofficial—three separate disclaimers hammer home that this is not affiliated with Perplexity AI, Inc.

The interesting bit

The “Quick Search” feature is the real hook: select text anywhere on your desktop, hit Alt+Shift+X, and the app pops open with a Perplexity search preloaded. There’s also “Prefix Search” for templated queries (e.g., auto-prefixing “Summarize:”). The README is refreshingly honest about what this actually is—a “desktop wrapper” that “simply loads Perplexity AI’s public website”—rather than pretending to be standalone AI infrastructure.

Key highlights

• Global hotkey (Alt+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X) searches selected text via Perplexity
• Customizable prefix templates for repeated query patterns
• Cross-platform builds: Windows .exe, macOS .dmg, Linux .AppImage/.deb
• All settings stored locally via electron-store; claims zero data collection
• GPL v3 licensed; downloads hosted on Pling (with a nudge that this “indirectly supports” the project)

Caveats

• The screenshot in the README is commented out, so the actual UI polish is unverified
• Requires Node.js 16+ and ~200MB disk space; 4GB RAM minimum seems generous for a web wrapper
• “P-lexity” name-mangling throughout suggests trademark caution, but also makes the README read like a Mad Libs legal defense

Verdict

Worth a look if you live in Perplexity’s web UI and crave global hotkeys and tray persistence. Skip it if you already get enough from a pinned browser tab, or if unofficial wrappers make you nervous about API longevity and security boundaries.