Perplexity API Platform MCP Server

Perplexity API Platform MCP Server

     

The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform, providing AI assistants with real-time web search, reasoning, and research capabilities through the Agent API and the Search API.

Remote MCP Server

The remote MCP server is hosted by Perplexity and is the easiest way to get started: same tools, nothing to install or update. The Cursor and VS Code buttons at the top of this page connect to it with one click. If your MCP client does not support remote servers yet, skip to the local server setup below. Connect over Streamable HTTP with your Perplexity API key:

https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp

For Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http perplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

See the MCP integration docs for manual Cursor/VS Code configuration, usage from the Anthropic API, and setup for other clients.

Local MCP Server

Get Your API Key

1. Get your Perplexity API Key from the API Portal
2. Replace your_key_here in the configurations below with your API key
3. (Optional) Set timeout: PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS=600000 (default: 5 minutes)
4. (Optional) Set custom base URL: PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL=https://your-custom-url.com (default: https://api.perplexity.ai)
5. (Optional) Set log level: PERPLEXITY_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG|INFO|WARN|ERROR (default: ERROR)

Claude Code

claude mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key_here" -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server

Or install via plugin:

export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key_here"
claude
# Then run: /plugin marketplace add perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol
# Then run: /plugin install perplexity

Codex

codex mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key_here" -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server

Agent Plugins

This repository is packaged as an Agent Plugin, so clients that support the standard can install it directly from this repository. The Agent Plugins format does not carry secrets, so set the PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable through your client's plugin or MCP settings.

Other MCP Clients

Most clients can be configured manually using the same mcpServers wrapper in their client config (as shown for Cursor). If a client has a different schema, check its docs for the exact wrapper format.

For manual setup, these clients all use the same mcpServers structure:

Client	Config File
Cursor	~/.cursor/mcp.json
Claude Desktop	claude_desktop_config.json
Kiro	.kiro/settings/mcp.json
Windsurf	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
VS Code	.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Proxy Setup (For Corporate Networks)

If you are running this server at work—especially behind a company firewall or proxy—you may need to tell the program how to send its internet traffic through your network's proxy. Follow these steps:

1. Get your proxy details

• Ask your IT department for your HTTPS proxy address and port.
• You may also need a username and password.

2. Set the proxy environment variable

The easiest and most reliable way for Perplexity MCP is to use PERPLEXITY_PROXY. For example:

export PERPLEXITY_PROXY=https://your-proxy-host:8080

If your proxy needs a username and password, use:

export PERPLEXITY_PROXY=https://username:password@your-proxy-host:8080

3. Alternate: Standard environment variables

If you'd rather use the standard variables, we support HTTPS_PROXY and HTTP_PROXY.

[!NOTE] The server checks proxy settings in this order: PERPLEXITY_PROXY → HTTPS_PROXY → HTTP_PROXY. If none are set, it connects directly to the internet. URLs must include https://. Typical ports are 8080, 3128, and 80.

Self-Hosted HTTP Mode

For cloud or shared deployments, run the server in HTTP mode.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY	Your Perplexity API key	Required
PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL	Custom base URL for API requests	https://api.perplexity.ai
PORT	HTTP server port	8080
BIND_ADDRESS	Network interface to bind to. Defaults to loopback. Set to 0.0.0.0 to expose on all interfaces.	127.0.0.1
ALLOWED_ORIGINS	CORS origins (comma-separated). Defaults to empty (no cross-origin browser requests). Set to an explicit allowlist (e.g. https://app.example.com) or to * to allow any origin.	(empty)
ALLOWED_HOSTS	Additional Host header values to accept (comma-separated). Loopback hosts on PORT are always allowed. Add the public hostname when binding to 0.0.0.0.	(loopback only)

Docker

docker build -t perplexity-mcp-server .
docker run -p 8080:8080 -e PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=your_key_here perplexity-mcp-server

Node.js

export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=your_key_here
npm install && npm run build && npm run start:http

The server will be accessible at http://localhost:8080/mcp

Available Tools

perplexity_search

Search results include publication and last-updated dates when available. Missing or null dates are omitted from the formatted output.

Direct web search using the Perplexity Search API. Returns ranked search results with metadata, perfect for finding current information. Supports recency filters (search_recency_filter), domain restrictions (search_domain_filter), and Fast Search (search_type: "fast") for lower latency and cost.

perplexity_ask

General-purpose conversational AI with real-time web search, backed by the Agent API fast preset. Great for quick questions and everyday searches.

perplexity_research

Deep, comprehensive research backed by the Agent API high preset. Ideal for thorough analysis and detailed reports. Runs can take minutes; the server streams the run and reports progress to clients that request it.

perplexity_reason

Advanced reasoning and problem-solving backed by the Agent API medium preset. Perfect for complex analytical tasks.

perplexity_ask and perplexity_reason accept optional positive-integer max_tokens (total search context, up to 120,000) and max_tokens_per_page (context per result page, up to 20,000). These Agent API budgets control retrieved search content, not generated answer length. When omitted, the preset's search configuration remains in effect.

The legacy search_context_size argument is still accepted, but is translated locally into explicit budgets rather than sent to the Agent API:

Legacy size	Total tokens	Tokens per page
low	2000	512
medium	4000	1024
high	8000	2048

This compatibility policy is not an exact equivalent of Sonar's named sizes; the Agent API migration guide has no named-size equivalent. Each explicit budget overrides its corresponding legacy default.

[!NOTE] Presets are managed configurations (model, search setup, step budget) that Perplexity keeps tuned over time; see the presets guide. Earlier versions of this server called the legacy sonar-pro, sonar-reasoning-pro, and sonar-deep-research models and accepted strip_thinking / reasoning_effort parameters. Those parameters are no longer part of the tool schemas and are ignored if sent; the Agent API produces no <think> tags.

Use as a Library

The package also exports the server factory for embedding in your own Node process:

import { createPerplexityServer } from "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server";

// Single-tenant: reads PERPLEXITY_API_KEY from the environment.
const server = createPerplexityServer("my-service");

// Multi-tenant hosts resolve the key per call instead. When a provider is
// set, the environment variable is never consulted, and a provider that
// returns no key fails the call rather than falling back.
const tenantServer = createPerplexityServer("my-service", {
  apiKey: () => currentRequestApiKey,
});

Mount the returned server on any MCP transport (stdio, streamable HTTP, in-memory).

Troubleshooting

• API Key Issues: Ensure PERPLEXITY_API_KEY is set correctly
• Connection Errors: Check your internet connection and API key validity
• Tool Not Found: Make sure the package is installed and the command path is correct
• Timeout Errors: For very long research queries, set PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS to a higher value
• Proxy Issues: Verify your PERPLEXITY_PROXY or HTTPS_PROXY setup and ensure api.perplexity.ai isn't blocked by your firewall.
• EOF / Initialize Errors: Some strict MCP clients fail because npx writes installation messages to stdout. Use npx -yq instead of npx -y to suppress this output.

For support, visit community.perplexity.ai or file an issue.

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