How to use the Comet assistant with your browser tabs

Use the Perplexity Comet assistant by opening a webpage and choosing the Ask Button to ask about its contents. Perplexity’s getting-started guide↗ (opens in a new tab) also names a Summarize Button; the assistant works in a side panel. Start with a request to read and explain a page before asking it to take an action in your browser.

When a session produces a checked comparison or useful next step, keep that result somewhere you can return to. Tools like fenbs preserve the work beyond one browser session. Our AI-at-work guides explain that wider workflow; this page focuses on the tabs you have open and the actions you need to review.

How do you start with the page you are reading?

1. Open a nonconfidential page in Comet that you are allowed to use for the task.
2. Choose the Ask Button to ask a question about the page, or use the Summarize Button for a summary.
3. Give the assistant a narrow question. For example, ask it to list the stated return conditions and flag anything the page leaves unanswered.
4. Read the answer beside the page. Check the claims that matter against the original wording before using them.
5. Ask a follow-up that corrects an omission or narrows the question, rather than assuming the first answer is complete.

The installation guidance covers Windows and Mac. It does not establish identical menus on every mobile device or a universal subscription entitlement. Begin with the documented desktop workflow you can actually access. Tab awareness is about browser-page context; it is not a promise that the assistant sees your entire desktop or camera.

A useful first test is deliberately small. Ask for three factual details you can find yourself on the page, then check them. If the assistant misses a qualification, make it explain which passage supports its conclusion. This helps you judge the answer without giving it permission to change anything.

How do you compare information from several tabs?

Perplexity documents @ mentions for referring to tabs in the search bar or sidecar in its Comet Shortcuts guide↗ (opens in a new tab). Name the intended tabs and specify the fields you want compared. Do not rely on “compare these” when unrelated pages are open.

For example, suppose you are comparing two public venue pages. Ask for a table containing the stated room capacity, accessibility information, cancellation terms, and unanswered questions. Require “not stated” whenever a page does not supply a field. That prevents an attractive but unsupported comparison from looking complete.

• Name the pages or tabs that belong in the comparison.
• Use the same questions for every source.
• Ask the assistant to separate page statements from its own interpretation.
• Open the original page again before acting on a decisive detail.

For finding sources beyond your current tabs, use our separate guide to Perplexity research. For better instruction wording, see Perplexity prompts. A focused tab comparison should answer one decision you face, rather than becoming an unrelated browsing exercise.

What permissions should you check before an action?

Perplexity’s Comet permissions guide↗ (opens in a new tab) distinguishes Browser Control, Read Only, and No Access. Reading a page and being permitted to click or fill forms are separate capabilities. In Enterprise, administrators manage Comet Setup → Assistant Permissions and Domain-Specific Assistant Permissions.

Domain-specific rules override global assistant settings, including cases where a global setting is disabled. An organization should inspect the relevant site rule as well as the global setting. Do not assume one switch settles access to every domain, or that a readable page also permits browser actions.

Describe the boundary in your request: “Read these pages and prepare a comparison. Do not submit forms or change anything.” Before requesting an action, identify the destination, intended change, and facts you need to confirm. Review the actual result afterward. A completion message alone is not enough evidence that the right field, page, or recipient was used.

Can you reuse the same tab workflow?

Comet Shortcuts save reusable prompts. The documented flow is to type / in the search bar or sidecar, choose Create a shortcut, enter instructions and Search Mode, Model, or Source settings, give it a name, then Save. To edit one, open the Settings bar, select Shortcuts, choose the item, and save your changes.

A shortcut does not execute immediately when you type it. It expands on submission, and you can add context beforehand. Keep the repeatable method in the shortcut and supply today’s tabs or question separately. Saved instructions do not override site permissions or remove the need to review consequential actions.

For a recurring comparison, save a prompt that asks for evidence, missing details, and the same fields every time. Avoid baking in yesterday’s conclusion. The value is a consistent method, so a different source or corrected fact can produce a different answer.

What if the answer is incomplete or an action fails?

Start with what you can inspect. Confirm that you named the correct tab and that the information you need is actually on its page. Ask which part of the request the assistant could not complete. For an organization-controlled site, ask the administrator to check its domain permission rather than repeatedly broadening the task.

Separate an unanswered research question from a failed browser action. The first may need another source; the second needs a clear account of what did and did not change. If the assistant reports uncertainty after a submission attempt, inspect the destination before retrying so you do not repeat an action unnecessarily. Our Comet troubleshooting guide covers that diagnostic intent in more depth.

What should you save after the browser session?

Keep the source links, checked findings, unanswered question, and next action. Include what the assistant actually did and what you checked afterward. If you tried an action but could not confirm its result, leave that uncertainty visible. The next person needs to know what to inspect before trying again.

Our Perplexity export guide covers that separate operation, and Perplexity Spaces explained covers organizing work inside Perplexity. For work that must continue across assistants, fenbs keeps the checked conclusion and next step in a shared work record.

How to keep the browser findings with fenbs

Keep the work so you can carry on from exactly where you left off, on any device and in any other AI. Perplexity’s documented custom remote connector route↗ (opens in a new tab) is Enterprise and administrator-controlled; members need an administrator to enable permission, which is off by default. This does not establish custom connectors for every consumer subscription.

1. Create a free account.
2. Keep the page links, checked findings, and the question you still need to answer.
3. Connect Perplexity to fenbs through the available connections if your Enterprise administrator permits custom remote connectors. Otherwise, enter the useful summary yourself.
4. Save what changed and the next step before you stop. Read it once to make sure it says what you mean.
5. When you return, ask a connected assistant to read that record before taking the next step.

fenbs does not import your Comet browsing session or grant access to blocked sites. If you only need a quick page summary, keeping a separate work record may add little. It helps when checked browser findings become ongoing work that another session or person needs to continue.