Perplexity
About
Connects AI assistants to Perplexity's API for real-time web search and specialized reasoning capabilities through perplexity_ask and perplexity_reason tools.
Details
- Author
- alcova-ai
- Repository
- Alcova-AI/perplexity-mcp
- GitHub stars
- 5
- License
- MIT License
- Categories
- Productivity, Developer Tools, Design, AI, Search, API, Project Management, Knowledge Base
- Tags
- #web
Jump to
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.)perplexity-mcpArguments-
Argument 1
--model -
Argument 2
sonar-pro -
Argument 3
--reasoning-model -
Argument 4
sonar-reasoning-pro
Environment-
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY
pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE
Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
-
Argument 1
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
This server supports only the stdio protocol for MCP communication.
Adding to Claude Code:
claude mcp add-json --scope user perplexity-mcp '{"type":"stdio","command":"perplexity-mcp","env":{"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY":"pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"}}'
That's it! You can now use Perplexity in Claude Code.
Adding to Claude Desktop:
1. Exit the Claude Desktop MCP config:
code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the Perplexity MCP server:
{
"mcpServers": {
+ "perplexity-mcp": {
+ "command": "perplexity-mcp",
+ "args": [
+ "--model",
+ "sonar-pro",
+ "--reasoning-model",
+ "sonar-reasoning-pro"
+ ],
+ "env": {
+ "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
+ }
+ }
}
}
perplexity_ask
Search the web and retrieve up-to-date information using Perplexity's Sonar Pro model.
perplexity_reason
Perform complex reasoning tasks using Perplexity's Sonar Reasoning Pro model.
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity": {
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
},
"args": [
"--model",
"sonar-pro",
"--reasoning-model",
"sonar-reasoning-pro"
],
"command": "perplexity-mcp"
}
}
}Linux
{
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
},
"args": [
"--model",
"sonar-pro",
"--reasoning-model",
"sonar-reasoning-pro"
],
"command": "perplexity-mcp"
}Macos
{
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
},
"args": [
"--model",
"sonar-pro",
"--reasoning-model",
"sonar-reasoning-pro"
],
"command": "perplexity-mcp"
}Windows
{
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
},
"args": [
"--model",
"sonar-pro",
"--reasoning-model",
"sonar-reasoning-pro"
],
"command": "perplexity-mcp"
}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
2. 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)
brew tap alcova-ai/tap
brew install perplexity-mcp
From Source
Clone the repository and build manually:
git clone https://github.com/Alcova-AI/perplexity-mcp.git
cd perplexity-mcp
go build -o perplexity-mcp-server .
From Binary Releases (Other platforms)
Download pre-built binaries from the releases page.
Usage
This server supports only the stdio protocol for MCP communication.
Setup with Claude Code
Adding to Claude Code:
claude mcp add-json --scope user perplexity-mcp '{"type":"stdio","command":"perplexity-mcp","env":{"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY":"pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"}}'
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:
code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the Perplexity MCP server:
{
"mcpServers": {
+ "perplexity-mcp": {
+ "command": "perplexity-mcp",
+ "args": [
+ "--model",
+ "sonar-pro",
+ "--reasoning-model",
+ "sonar-reasoning-pro"
+ ],
+ "env": {
+ "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "pplx-YOUR-API-KEY-HERE"
+ }
+ }
}
}
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
Sign in to leave a review
Use Google, GitHub, or an email account so ratings stay tied to real people.
No reviews posted yet.
