Export a Perplexity thread to Markdown, Word or PDF

// Responsive Muse · Perplexity Thread Exporter · v1.0 · 2026-10-22
// Saves the Perplexity thread you have open as Markdown, Word (.doc) or PDF: every question and
// answer, with tables, code blocks and the source links of each citation. Runs only on
// perplexity.ai. It makes no network requests of its own and never reads cookies, passwords
// or tokens.
(async () => {
  const TOOL = 'Export Perplexity thread';
  const NAMES = { user: 'You', ai: 'Perplexity' };   // headings used in the file

  if (!/(^|\.)perplexity\.ai$/.test(location.hostname) || !/^\/search\//.test(location.pathname)) {
    alert('Open the Perplexity thread you want to export first (perplexity.ai/search/…).');
    return;
  }
  // A small box on the page shows progress and asks before changing anything,
  // so you never need to read or edit the console.
  const many = (n, word) => `${n} ${word}${n === 1 ? '' : 's'}`;   // 1 video, 2 videos
  const panel = (() => {
    const box = document.createElement('div');
    box.style.cssText = 'display:block!important;position:fixed;right:16px;bottom:16px;z-index:2147483647;width:340px;max-width:calc(100vw - 32px);' +
      'background:#111318;color:#e6e8ee;font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif;border-radius:12px;padding:16px;' +
      'box-shadow:0 8px 30px rgba(0,0,0,.4);text-align:left';
    const head = document.createElement('strong');
    head.textContent = TOOL;
    const msg = document.createElement('p');
    msg.style.cssText = 'margin:8px 0 12px;white-space:pre-line';
    const row = document.createElement('div');
    row.style.cssText = 'display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px;justify-content:flex-end';
    box.append(head, msg, row);
    document.body.append(box);
    const button = (label, primary, onClick) => {
      const b = document.createElement('button');
      b.textContent = label;
      b.style.cssText = 'font:600 14px system-ui,sans-serif;padding:8px 14px;border-radius:8px;cursor:pointer;' +
        (primary ? 'background:#0f766e;color:#fff;border:1px solid #0f766e' : 'background:none;color:#e6e8ee;border:1px solid #3a3f4b');
      b.onclick = onClick;
      row.append(b);
    };
    return {
      text(t) { msg.textContent = t; },
      ask(t, yes) {
        msg.textContent = t;
        row.replaceChildren();
        return new Promise(r => {
          button('Cancel', false, () => { row.replaceChildren(); r(false); });
          button(yes, true, () => { row.replaceChildren(); r(true); });
        });
      },
      stoppable(onStop) { row.replaceChildren(); button('Stop', false, onStop); },
      actions(t, list) {
        msg.textContent = t;
        row.replaceChildren();
        list.forEach(([label, primary, run]) => button(label, primary, run));
      },
      finish(t) { this.actions(t, [['Close', true, () => box.remove()]]); },
      close() { box.remove(); },
    };
  })();
  // Turn a rendered message (HTML) back into Markdown: headings, lists, code, tables, links
  const toMarkdown = root => {
    const skip = el => el.matches('button, svg, script, style, [aria-hidden="true"], .sr-only, [data-markdown-copy="exclude"], ' +
      '.code-block-decoration, [class*="code-block-header"]');
    const walk = (node, depth) => {
      if (node.nodeType === 3) return node.textContent;
      if (node.nodeType !== 1 || skip(node)) return '';
      const kids = () => [...node.childNodes].map(n => walk(n, depth)).join('');
      const tag = node.tagName.toLowerCase();
      // Math (KaTeX) is on the page three times; keep only its TeX source
      if (node.classList.contains('katex')) {
        const tex = node.querySelector('annotation[encoding="application/x-tex"]')?.textContent.trim();
        if (tex) return node.closest('.katex-display') ? `\n\n$$${tex}$$\n\n` : `$${tex}$`;
      }
      if (/^h[1-6]$/.test(tag)) return `\n\n${'#'.repeat(+tag[1])} ${kids().trim()}\n\n`;
      if (tag === 'p') return `\n\n${kids().trim()}\n\n`;
      if (tag === 'br') return '\n';
      if (tag === 'hr') return '\n\n---\n\n';
      if (tag === 'strong' || tag === 'b') return `**${kids()}**`;
      if (tag === 'em' || tag === 'i') return `*${kids()}*`;
      if (tag === 'a') return `[${kids()}](${node.href})`;
      if (tag === 'img') return node.alt ? `![${node.alt}](${node.src})` : '';
      if (tag === 'pre') {
        const code = node.querySelector('code') || node;
        const lang = ((code.className || '').match(/language-([\w+-]+)/) || [])[1] || '';
        return `\n\n\`\`\`${lang}\n${code.textContent.replace(/\n$/, '')}\n\`\`\`\n\n`;
      }
      if (tag === 'code') return '`' + node.textContent + '`';
      if (tag === 'blockquote') return '\n\n' + kids().trim().split('\n').map(l => '> ' + l).join('\n') + '\n\n';
      if (tag === 'ul' || tag === 'ol') {
        const items = [...node.children].filter(li => li.tagName === 'LI').map((li, i) => {
          const body = [...li.childNodes].map(n => walk(n, depth + 1)).join('').trim().replace(/\n{2,}/g, '\n');
          return '  '.repeat(depth) + (tag === 'ol' ? `${i + 1}. ` : '- ') + body;
        });
        return '\n' + items.join('\n') + '\n';
      }
      if (tag === 'table') {
        const rows = [...node.querySelectorAll('tr')].map(tr =>
          '| ' + [...tr.children].map(c => walk(c, depth).trim().replace(/\|/g, '\\|').replace(/\n/g, ' ')).join(' | ') + ' |');
        if (rows.length) rows.splice(1, 0, '|' + ' --- |'.repeat(rows[0].split(' | ').length));
        return '\n\n' + rows.join('\n') + '\n\n';
      }
      return kids();
    };
    return walk(root, 0).replace(/\n{3,}/g, '\n\n').trim();
  };
  // Offer the chat as Markdown, Word or PDF (all built here, in your browser)
  const deliverChat = (title, messages, names, note = '') => {
    const date = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10);
    const md = `# ${title}\n\n_Exported ${date} from ${location.href}_\n\n` + messages.map(m =>
      `## ${m.role === 'user' ? names.user : names.ai}\n\n${m.markdown}`).join('\n\n---\n\n') + '\n';
    const esc = s => s.replace(/&/g, '&amp;').replace(/</g, '&lt;').replace(/>/g, '&gt;');
    const html = '<!doctype html><html><head><meta charset="utf-8"><title>' + esc(title) + '</title><style>' +
      'body{font:15px/1.6 Georgia,serif;max-width:760px;margin:40px auto;padding:0 20px;color:#111}' +
      'h1{font:700 26px system-ui,sans-serif}h2{font:600 15px system-ui,sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.05em;color:#555;margin-top:32px}' +
      '.msg{white-space:pre-wrap}.user{background:#f3f4f6;padding:12px 16px;border-radius:8px}' +
      'pre,code{font:13px Consolas,monospace}hr{border:0;border-top:1px solid #ddd}</style></head><body>' +
      `<h1>${esc(title)}</h1><p><em>Exported ${date}</em></p>` + messages.map(m =>
        `<h2>${esc(m.role === 'user' ? names.user : names.ai)}</h2><div class="msg ${m.role}">${esc(m.markdown)}</div>`).join('<hr>') +
      '</body></html>';
    const file = (title || 'chat').replace(/[\\/:*?"<>|]+/g, '_').slice(0, 80);
    const save = (body, ext, type) => {
      const a = document.createElement('a');
      a.href = URL.createObjectURL(new Blob([body], { type }));
      a.download = `${file}.${ext}`;
      a.click();
      setTimeout(() => URL.revokeObjectURL(a.href), 5000);
      panel.text(`Saved as ${file}.${ext} (check your Downloads).`);
    };
    const pdf = () => {
      const w = window.open('', '_blank');
      if (!w) { panel.text('Your browser blocked the new window. Allow pop-ups for this site and try again.'); return; }
      w.document.write(html);
      w.document.close();
      w.focus();
      w.print();
      panel.text('Choose "Save as PDF" as the printer in the window that opened.');
    };
    const copy = () => navigator.clipboard.writeText(md)
      .then(() => panel.text('Copied as Markdown. Paste it into Notion, Obsidian or any editor.'))
      .catch(() => panel.text('The browser blocked the clipboard: use Markdown instead.'));
    panel.actions(`Found ${many(messages.length, 'message')}.${note ? '\n' + note : ''}`, [
      ['Copy', false, copy],
      ['Markdown', false, () => save(md, 'md', 'text/markdown;charset=utf-8')],
      ['Word', false, () => save('\ufeff' + html, 'doc', 'application/msword')],
      ['PDF', true, pdf],
    ]);
  };
  const sleep = ms => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));
  // Questions are the plain-text bubbles of the thread; answers are the formatted ".prose" blocks
  const main = document.querySelector('main') || document.body;
  const QUESTION = 'div.whitespace-pre-wrap.break-words';

  // 1. Scroll through the thread once so every answer is rendered
  window.scrollTo(0, 0);
  for (let y = 0; y < document.documentElement.scrollHeight; y += window.innerHeight * 0.8) {
    window.scrollTo(0, y);
    panel.text('Reading the thread…');
    await sleep(300);
  }

  // Citations become numbered links [1], [2]… plus a list of sources under each answer
  // (worked on a copy, so the page itself is not changed)
  const answer = el => {
    const copy = el.cloneNode(true);
    const urls = [];
    for (const c of [...copy.querySelectorAll('span.citation')].filter(s => !s.parentElement.closest('span.citation'))) {
      const url = c.getAttribute('data-pplx-citation-url') || c.querySelector('a')?.href || '';
      if (!url) { c.remove(); continue; }
      const n = urls.includes(url) ? urls.indexOf(url) + 1 : urls.push(url);
      const a = document.createElement('a');
      a.href = url;
      a.textContent = `[${n}]`;
      c.replaceWith(' ', a);
    }
    return toMarkdown(copy) + (urls.length ? '\n\n**Sources**\n\n' + urls.map((u, i) => `${i + 1}. ${u}`).join('\n') : '');
  };

  // 2. Collect questions and answers in page order
  const parts = [...main.querySelectorAll(`${QUESTION}, .prose`)]
    .filter(el => !el.closest('nav, aside, [data-testid="login-modal"]'))
    .filter(el => !el.parentElement.closest(`${QUESTION}, .prose`));   // skip nested matches
  const messages = parts.map(el => el.matches('.prose')
    ? { role: 'ai', markdown: answer(el) }
    : { role: 'user', markdown: el.innerText.trim() })
    .filter(m => m.markdown);
  if (!messages.some(m => m.role === 'ai')) {
    panel.finish('No answers found. Perplexity may have changed its layout: please report it on responsive-muse.com.');
    return 0;
  }
  const title = messages.find(m => m.role === 'user')?.markdown.split('\n')[0].slice(0, 80) || 'Perplexity thread';
  deliverChat(title, messages, NAMES);
  return messages.length;
})();