diff --git a/autonomous/connectors/perplexity_finance.py b/autonomous/connectors/perplexity_finance.py
index bc710a66..3e1742f0 100644
--- a/autonomous/connectors/perplexity_finance.py
+++ b/autonomous/connectors/perplexity_finance.py
@@ -94,16 +94,14 @@ class PerplexityFinanceConnector:
     Fixed connector for Perplexity Finance API providing advanced financial analysis.
     """
 
-    # List of valid Perplexity models (as of Jan 2024)
+    # List of valid Perplexity models (current API models)
     VALID_MODELS = [
-        "pplx-7b-online",      # Fast online model
-        "pplx-70b-online",     # Large online model (may require pro)
-        "pplx-7b-chat",        # Fast chat model
-        "pplx-70b-chat",       # Large chat model
-        "sonar-small-online",  # New Sonar models
-        "sonar-medium-online",
-        "sonar-small-chat",
-        "sonar-medium-chat"
+        "sonar",                               # Default sonar model (works!)
+        "sonar-online",                        # Online search model
+        "sonar-chat",                          # Chat-focused model
+        "mixtral-8x7b-instruct",               # Mixtral instruct model
+        "codellama-70b-instruct",              # Code-focused model
+        "llama-3.1-70b-instruct"               # Large Llama model
     ]
 
     def __init__(self,
@@ -140,7 +138,7 @@ class PerplexityFinanceConnector:
             self.finance_model = model
         else:
             # Default to most reliable model
-            self.finance_model = "sonar-small-online"  # Fast and reliable
+            self.finance_model = "sonar"  # Fast and reliable (verified working)
             logger.info(f"Using default model: {self.finance_model}")
 
         # Track rate limiting
diff --git a/test_perplexity.py b/test_perplexity.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..574f88bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_perplexity.py
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+"""
+Quick test script to verify Perplexity API connectivity and functionality.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import os
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+import sys
+
+# Load environment variables
+load_dotenv()
+
+# Add current directory to path
+sys.path.append('.')
+
+from autonomous.connectors.perplexity_finance import (
+    PerplexityFinanceConnector,
+    AnalysisType,
+    ResearchDepth
+)
+
+
+async def test_perplexity():
+    """Test Perplexity API functionality"""
+
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print("🔍 Testing Perplexity Finance API")
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+    try:
+        # Initialize connector
+        print("\n1. Initializing Perplexity connector...")
+        connector = PerplexityFinanceConnector(
+            api_key=os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')
+        )
+        print("✅ Connector initialized")
+
+        # Test 1: Analyze a single stock
+        print("\n2. Testing stock analysis (NVDA)...")
+        analysis = await connector.analyze_stock(
+            "NVDA",
+            AnalysisType.FUNDAMENTAL,
+            ResearchDepth.QUICK
+        )
+
+        print(f"""
+✅ Stock Analysis Complete:
+   - Ticker: {analysis.ticker}
+   - Current Price: ${analysis.current_price:.2f if analysis.current_price else 'N/A'}
+   - Fair Value: ${analysis.fair_value:.2f if analysis.fair_value else 'N/A'}
+   - P/E Ratio: {analysis.pe_ratio if analysis.pe_ratio else 'N/A'}
+   - Rating: {analysis.rating}
+   - Confidence: {analysis.confidence_score}%
+
+   Analysis Preview:
+   {analysis.detailed_analysis[:300]}...
+        """)
+
+        # Test 2: Market sentiment
+        print("\n3. Testing market sentiment analysis...")
+        sentiment = await connector.get_market_sentiment()
+
+        print(f"""
+✅ Market Sentiment:
+   {sentiment['analysis'][:300]}...
+        """)
+
+        # Test 3: Stock screening
+        print("\n4. Testing stock screening...")
+        query = "Find undervalued technology stocks with P/E under 25"
+        results = await connector.screen_stocks(query, max_results=5)
+
+        print(f"""
+✅ Screening Results for: "{query}"
+   Found {results.total_results} stocks
+
+   Top Results:""")
+
+        for stock in results.stocks[:3]:
+            print(f"   - {stock.get('ticker', 'N/A')}: ${stock.get('price', 0):.2f}")
+
+        print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+        print("✅ ALL TESTS PASSED - Perplexity API is working!")
+        print("=" * 60)
+
+        return True
+
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"\n❌ Error: {e}")
+        import traceback
+        traceback.print_exc()
+        return False
+
+
+async def test_research_agent():
+    """Test the AI Research Agent with Perplexity"""
+
+    print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+    print("🤖 Testing AI Research Agent")
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+    try:
+        from autonomous.research.ai_research_agent import (
+            AIResearchAgent,
+            ResearchQuery,
+            ResearchMode
+        )
+
+        # Initialize agent
+        print("\n1. Initializing AI Research Agent...")
+        agent = AIResearchAgent(
+            openai_api_key=os.getenv('OPENAI_API_KEY'),
+            perplexity_connector=PerplexityFinanceConnector(
+                api_key=os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')
+            )
+        )
+        print("✅ Agent initialized")
+
+        # Test natural language query
+        print("\n2. Testing natural language query...")
+        question = "What are the top 3 undervalued stocks in the technology sector right now?"
+        print(f"Question: {question}")
+
+        answer = await agent.answer_question(question)
+
+        print(f"""
+✅ Answer received:
+{answer[:500]}...
+        """)
+
+        print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+        print("✅ AI Research Agent is working!")
+        print("=" * 60)
+
+        return True
+
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"\n❌ Error: {e}")
+        import traceback
+        traceback.print_exc()
+        return False
+
+
+async def main():
+    """Run all tests"""
+
+    print("""
+╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
+║        Perplexity Finance API Integration Test            ║
+╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
+    """)
+
+    # Check for API key
+    if not os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY'):
+        print("❌ PERPLEXITY_API_KEY not found in .env file")
+        return
+
+    print(f"📌 Using Perplexity API key: {os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')[:10]}...")
+
+    # Run tests
+    perplexity_ok = await test_perplexity()
+
+    if perplexity_ok and os.getenv('OPENAI_API_KEY'):
+        agent_ok = await test_research_agent()
+    else:
+        print("\n⚠️  Skipping AI Research Agent test (requires OpenAI API key)")
+        agent_ok = False
+
+    # Summary
+    print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+    print("📊 TEST SUMMARY")
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print(f"Perplexity API: {'✅ PASSED' if perplexity_ok else '❌ FAILED'}")
+    print(f"Research Agent: {'✅ PASSED' if agent_ok else '⏭️  SKIPPED' if not os.getenv('OPENAI_API_KEY') else '❌ FAILED'}")
+
+    if perplexity_ok:
+        print("""
+🎉 SUCCESS! Your AI research system is ready to:
+   - Analyze stocks with real-time data
+   - Answer complex investment questions
+   - Screen for opportunities
+   - Monitor market sentiment
+
+Next steps:
+   1. Run the interactive CLI: python autonomous/research/research_cli.py
+   2. Run the full demo: python research_demo.py
+   3. Start the autonomous system: python autonomous_trader.py
+        """)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    asyncio.run(main())
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test_perplexity_simple.py b/test_perplexity_simple.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..96680a2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_perplexity_simple.py
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+"""
+Simplified test script to verify Perplexity API connectivity.
+Works around import issues.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import os
+import sys
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+
+# Load environment variables
+load_dotenv()
+
+# Add directories to path
+sys.path.insert(0, '.')
+sys.path.insert(0, './autonomous')
+
+
+async def test_perplexity_direct():
+    """Test Perplexity API directly without complex imports"""
+
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print("🔍 Testing Perplexity Finance API (Direct)")
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+    api_key = os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')
+    if not api_key:
+        print("❌ PERPLEXITY_API_KEY not found in .env")
+        return False
+
+    print(f"📌 Using API key: {api_key[:15]}...")
+
+    # Test with a simple API call
+    import aiohttp
+    import json
+
+    url = "https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions"
+    headers = {
+        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
+        "Content-Type": "application/json"
+    }
+
+    payload = {
+        "model": "sonar",  # Try the basic sonar model
+        "messages": [
+            {
+                "role": "system",
+                "content": "You are a financial analyst. Be brief and specific."
+            },
+            {
+                "role": "user",
+                "content": "What is NVIDIA's current stock price and P/E ratio? Reply with just the numbers."
+            }
+        ],
+        "max_tokens": 200,
+        "temperature": 0.1
+    }
+
+    try:
+        print("\n1. Sending test request to Perplexity API...")
+        async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
+            async with session.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload) as response:
+                if response.status == 200:
+                    data = await response.json()
+                    content = data['choices'][0]['message']['content']
+                    print(f"✅ API Response received:")
+                    print(f"   {content[:200]}")
+                    print("\n✅ Perplexity API is working!")
+                    return True
+                else:
+                    error = await response.text()
+                    print(f"❌ API Error (status {response.status}):")
+                    print(f"   {error[:200]}")
+                    return False
+
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"❌ Connection error: {e}")
+        return False
+
+
+async def test_research_functionality():
+    """Test our research functionality"""
+
+    print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+    print("🤖 Testing Research Functionality")
+    print("=" * 60)
+
+    try:
+        # Import just what we need
+        from autonomous.connectors.perplexity_finance import (
+            PerplexityFinanceConnector,
+            AnalysisType,
+            ResearchDepth
+        )
+
+        print("\n1. Initializing Perplexity connector...")
+        connector = PerplexityFinanceConnector(
+            api_key=os.getenv('PERPLEXITY_API_KEY')
+        )
+        print("✅ Connector initialized")
+
+        # Test stock analysis
+        print("\n2. Analyzing NVDA stock...")
+        analysis = await connector.analyze_stock(
+            "NVDA",
+            AnalysisType.FUNDAMENTAL,
+            ResearchDepth.QUICK
+        )
+
+        print(f"""
+✅ Analysis Complete:
+   Ticker: {analysis.ticker}
+   Rating: {analysis.rating}
+   Confidence: {analysis.confidence_score}%
+
+   Analysis Preview:
+   {analysis.detailed_analysis[:200]}...
+        """)
+
+        # Test market sentiment
+        print("\n3. Getting market sentiment...")
+        sentiment = await connector.get_market_sentiment()
+        print(f"✅ Market Sentiment: {sentiment['analysis'][:150]}...")
+
+        print("\n✅ All research functions working!")
+        return True
+
+    except ImportError as e:
+        print(f"⚠️  Import error: {e}")
+        print("   Some dependencies may be missing")
+        return False
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"❌ Error: {e}")
+        import traceback
+        traceback.print_exc()
+        return False
+
+
+async def main():
+    """Run tests"""
+
+    print("""
+╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
+║     Perplexity Finance API Test (Simplified)              ║
+╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
+    """)
+
+    # Test 1: Direct API test
+    api_ok = await test_perplexity_direct()
+
+    # Test 2: Research functionality (may have import issues)
+    if api_ok:
+        research_ok = await test_research_functionality()
+    else:
+        research_ok = False
+
+    # Summary
+    print("\n" + "=" * 60)
+    print("📊 TEST SUMMARY")
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print(f"Perplexity API Connection: {'✅ WORKING' if api_ok else '❌ FAILED'}")
+    print(f"Research Functions: {'✅ WORKING' if research_ok else '⚠️ PARTIAL' if api_ok else '❌ FAILED'}")
+
+    if api_ok:
+        print("""
+🎉 Your Perplexity API is connected and working!
+
+The API can:
+   - Answer investment questions
+   - Analyze stocks in real-time
+   - Provide market sentiment
+   - Screen for opportunities
+
+Note: Some import issues may exist with the full system,
+but the core Perplexity functionality is operational.
+        """)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    asyncio.run(main())
\ No newline at end of file