Perplexity MCP Server
About
Interact with Perplexity.ai using Puppeteer without an API key. Requires Node.js and stores chat history locally.
Details
- Author
- wysh3
- GitHub stars
- 93
- Downloads
- 660
- Categories
- Search, Other, Automation, AI
Jump to
- Intelligent web search without API limits
- Persistent conversations via SQLite chat storage
- Content extraction with GitHub repository parsing
- Documentation retrieval, API discovery, and code analysis
- Keyless operation through browser automation
- Optional Perplexity Pro account support for better models
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
Perplexity MCP ServerCommand (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
Install the Bun runtime and Node.js 18+, clone the repository, run bun install and bun run build. Configure your MCP client with the absolute path to the built main.js file and an optional timeout of 300 seconds. Optionally, for Pro account benefits, run bun run login and log in via email. Initiate tasks through your MCP client using natural language commands such as "Use perplexity to research quantum computing advancements" or "Ask perplexity-server for React 18 documentation."
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity mcp server": {
"perplexity-mcp-server": {
"command": "bun",
"args": [
"run",
"build"
]
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"perplexity-mcp-server": {
"command": "bun",
"args": [
"run",
"build"
]
}
}Perplexity MCP Zerver
A minimalist research server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to deliver AI-powered research capabilities through Perplexity's web interface.
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Research Capabilities
- Intelligent Web Research: Search and summarize content without API limits
- Persistent Conversations: Maintain context with local SQLite chat storage
- Content Extraction: Clean article extraction with GitHub repository parsing
- Developer Tooling: Documentation retrieval, API discovery, code analysis
- Keyless Operation: Browser automation replaces API key requirements
---
Available Tools
Search (search)
Perform research queries with configurable depth
Returns raw text results
Get Documentation (get_documentation)
Retrieve technical documentation with examples
Returns structured documentation
Find APIs (find_apis)
Discover relevant APIs for development needs
Returns API listings and descriptions
Check Deprecated Code (check_deprecated_code)
Analyze code snippets for outdated patterns
Returns analysis report
Extract URL Content (extract_url_content)
Parse web content with automatic GitHub handling
Returns structured content metadata
Chat (chat_perplexity)
Persistent conversations with context history
Returns conversation state in JSON format
---
Getting Started
Prerequisites
- Bun runtime - Node.js 18+ (for TypeScript compilation)Installation
git clone https://github.com/wysh3/perplexity-mcp-zerver.git
cd perplexity-mcp-zerver
bun install
bun run build
Configuration
Add to your MCP configuration file:{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity-server": {
"command": "bun",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/build/main.js"],
"timeout": 300
}
}
}
Usage
Initiate commands through your MCP client: - "Use perplexity to research quantum computing advancements" - "Ask perplexity-server for React 18 documentation" - "Begin conversation with perplexity about neural networks"---
🔐 Pro Account Support (Optional)
Use your Perplexity Pro subscription for access to better models (GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5) and higher limits.
One-Time Setup
bun run build
bun run login
A browser window will open. Log in using email (recommended for best compatibility), then close the browser. Your session is now saved!
> Note: Google/SSO login may work but email login is more reliable with the browser automation.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| PERPLEXITY_BROWSER_DATA_DIR | ~/.perplexity-mcp | Browser profile directory |
| PERPLEXITY_PERSISTENT_PROFILE | true | Set to false for anonymous mode |
---
Technical Comparison
| Feature | This Implementation | Traditional APIs |
|----------------------|---------------------|------------------|
| Authentication | None required | API keys |
| Cost | Free | Usage-based |
| Data Privacy | Local processing | Remote servers |
| GitHub Integration | Native support | Limited |
| History Persistence | SQLite storage | Session-based |
---
Troubleshooting
Server Connection Issues
1. Verify absolute path in configuration
2. Confirm Node.js installation with node -v
3. Ensure build completed successfully
Content Extraction
- GitHub paths must use full repository URLs
- Adjust link recursion depth in source configuration
---
Origins & License
based on - DaInfernalCoder/perplexity-researcher-mcp refactored from - sm-moshi/docshunterLicensed under GNU GPL v3.0 - View License
---
> This project interfaces with Perplexity via browser automation. Use responsibly and ethically. Stability depends on Perplexity's website consistency. Educational use only.
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