Best for
- AI assistants that need real-time web search
- Users needing Perplexity Agent API research and reasoning capabilities
- Developers using MCP-compatible client tools
P
Perplexity API Platform
Official
Real-time search, reasoning, and research through Perplexity's API.
GitHub source repository ↗
64FMRS · C
The official Perplexity MCP Server provides four tools for real-time search, conversational answers, deep research, and advanced reasoning. It requires a Perplexity API key and network access, and uses stdio by default.
The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform. It gives AI assistants real-time web search, reasoning, and research capabilities through the Agent API and Search API. The server runs over stdio, and the npm package is @perplexity-ai/mcp-server 1.2.0.
Tools
perplexity_search
Direct web search through the Perplexity Search API, returning ranked results with metadata and supporting recency and domain filters.
perplexity_ask
General-purpose conversational AI backed by the Agent API fast preset, with real-time web search for quick questions and everyday searches.
perplexity_research
Deep research backed by the Agent API high preset for comprehensive analysis and detailed reports; runs may take minutes.
perplexity_reason
Advanced reasoning and problem-solving backed by the Agent API medium preset for complex analytical tasks.
Setup
Get an API key from the Perplexity API Portal, set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY to that key, and run npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server using the supplied client configuration. For long research tasks, set PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS. Corporate networks may require PERPLEXITY_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY, or HTTP_PROXY.
claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers":{"perplexity":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"],"env":{"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY":"your_key_here"}}}}
Fit and risk
Not for
- Local tasks that do not need internet or an external API
- Environments without a Perplexity API key
- Immediate-use scenarios that cannot wait for research runs lasting several minutes
Required permissions
- Requires access to PERPLEXITY_API_KEY
- Requires network access to the Perplexity API and the internet
- HTTP deployments may require network binding and host, origin, and port configuration
Risks and side effects
- The API key must be configured through the environment and should not be exposed.
- Setting BIND_ADDRESS to 0.0.0.0 exposes the HTTP service on all network interfaces.
- Setting ALLOWED_ORIGINS to * permits cross-origin browser requests from any origin.
- Deep research runs may take minutes and may require a higher timeout.
Troubleshooting
- Verify that PERPLEXITY_API_KEY is set correctly and valid.
- Check network connectivity and whether a firewall or proxy allows access to api.perplexity.ai.
- Confirm that the npm package is installed and the command path is correct.
- Increase PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS for long research queries.
- For EOF or Initialize errors, use npx -yq to suppress installation output.
Use cases
Finding current information on the web
Answering quick questions and performing everyday searches
Producing comprehensive research reports
Handling complex analysis and reasoning tasks
Supported clients
Claude CodeFull support
CodexFull support
CursorFull support
Claude DesktopFull support
KiroFull support
WindsurfFull support
VS CodeFull support