Perplexity
About
An MCP server that connects to Perplexity's Sonar API, enabling real-time web-wide research in conversational AI.
Explore
- perplexity_search: Direct web search via the Search API with ranked results and metadata.
- perplexity_ask: Conversational AI with real-time web search using the sonar-pro model.
- perplexity_research: Deep, comprehensive research using the sonar-deep-research model.
- perplexity_reason: Advanced reasoning and problem-solving with the sonar-reasoning-pro model.
- Optional strip_thinking parameter for perplexity_reason and perplexity_research to remove thinking tags.
- Support for proxy configuration via PERPLEXITY_PROXY or standard HTTPS_PROXY/HTTP_PROXY environment variables.
- HTTP deployment mode with configurable port, CORS origins, and allowed hosts.
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
PerplexityCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
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.
For cloud or shared deployments, run the server in HTTP mode.
| 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)* |Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity": {
"perplexity-ask": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@chatmcp/server-perplexity-ask"
],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"perplexity-ask": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@chatmcp/server-perplexity-ask"
],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform, providing AI assistants with real-time web search, reasoning, and research capabilities through Sonar models and the Search API.
Available Tools
perplexity_search
Direct web search using the Perplexity Search API. Returns ranked search results with metadata, perfect for finding current information.perplexity_ask
General-purpose conversational AI with real-time web search using thesonar-pro model. Great for quick questions and everyday searches.
perplexity_research
Deep, comprehensive research using thesonar-deep-research model. Ideal for thorough analysis and detailed reports.
perplexity_reason
Advanced reasoning and problem-solving using thesonar-reasoning-pro model. Perfect for complex analytical tasks.
> [!TIP]
> Available as an optional parameter for perplexity_reason and perplexity_research: strip_thinking
>
> Set to true to remove <think>...</think> tags from the response, saving context tokens. Default: false
Configuration
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:
```bash
export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key_here"
claude
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