perplexity.com
perplexity.com logo

Perplexity

Connects AI assistants to Perplexity's API for real-time web search and specialized reasoning capabilities through perpl...

Created byApr 23, 2025

Perplexity MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Perplexity API written in Go. This server enables AI assistants like Claude (Code and Desktop) and Cursor to seamlessly access Perplexity's powerful search and reasoning capabilities directly from their interfaces.

Description

The Perplexity MCP Server acts as a bridge between AI assistants and the Perplexity API, allowing them to:
  1. **Search the web and retrieve up-to-date information** using Perplexity's Sonar Pro model via the `perplexity_ask` tool
  1. **Perform complex reasoning tasks** using Perplexity's Sonar Reasoning Pro model via the `perplexity_reason` tool
This integration lets AI assistants like Claude access real-time information and specialized reasoning capabilities without leaving their interface, creating a seamless experience for users.

Key Benefits

  • **Access to real-time information**: Get current data, news, and information from the web
  • **Enhanced reasoning capabilities**: Leverage specialized models for complex problem-solving tasks
  • **Seamless integration**: Works natively with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor
  • **Simple installation**: Quick setup with Homebrew, Go, or pre-built binaries
  • **Customizable**: Configure which Perplexity models to use for different tasks

Installation

Using Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

From Source

Clone the repository and build manually:

From Binary Releases (Other platforms)

Download pre-built binaries from the [releases page](https://github.com/Alcova-AI/perplexity-mcp/releases).

Usage

This server supports only the `stdio` protocol for MCP communication.

Setup with Claude Code

Adding to Claude Code:
That's it! You can now use Perplexity in Claude Code.

Setup with Claude Desktop

Adding to Claude Desktop:
  1. Exit the Claude Desktop MCP config:
  1. Add the Perplexity MCP server:

Command Line Options

  • `--model, -m`: Specify the Perplexity model to use for search (default: "sonar-pro") - Can also be set with the `PERPLEXITY_MODEL` environment variable
  • `--reasoning-model, -r`: Specify the Perplexity model to use for reasoning (default: "sonar-reasoning-pro") - Can also be set with the `PERPLEXITY_REASONING_MODEL` environment variable
Example:

Direct Execution

If you want to run the server directly (not recommended for most users):
  1. Set your Perplexity API key as an environment variable: ```sh export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=your-api-key-here ```
  1. Run the server: ```sh perplexity-mcp ```

License

MIT