About Perplexity MCP
Perplexity MCP is an MCP server published by Family-IT-Guy in the AI category: a lightweight, easy-to-use Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation that seamlessly integrates Perplexity's powerful AI models into Claude Desktop. This bridge lets Claude access Perplexity's search and reasoning capabilities through Anthropic's standardized tool interface.
The repository has 15 stars and 1 forks, with the last commit 7 months ago. Six months or more without a commit doesn't mean the server is broken, but check the open issues before depending on it in production.
Install
git clone https://github.com/Family-IT-Guy/perplexity-mcpThis server has no ConduID identity, so agent calls to it are not receipted. Pin the version you install and review the source before granting it credentials.
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README
Perplexity Intelligent MCP Server
An intelligent Perplexity research MCP server for Claude Desktop with automatic model selection, multi-model synthesis, and persistent research history.
Features
- Intelligent Model Selection: Auto-picks the right Perplexity model based on your query
- Research History: Saves all research to
~/Documents/Perplexity Research/ - Multi-Model Synthesis: Combines multiple models for comprehensive research
- Search History: Search past research to avoid duplicate queries
- Built-in Citations: Every response includes sources and references
Quick Setup
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ (download)
- Claude Desktop
- Perplexity API key (get one at perplexity.ai/settings/api)
Configure Claude Desktop
Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and add:
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity-research": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@familyitguy/perplexity-mcp"],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Replace your-api-key-here with your Perplexity API key.
Restart Claude Desktop
Quit completely (Cmd+Q) and reopen. You're done!
Available Tools
research
Intelligent Perplexity search with auto-logging.
Use: "Research the current state of AI in healthcare"
deep_research
Multi-model synthesis for comprehensive research.
Use: "Do a deep research on renewable energy trends"
search_research
Search past research for existing findings.
Use: "Search my research for React performance"
list_research_threads
List all saved research threads.
read_research_thread
Read a specific past research thread.
list_models
Show available Perplexity models and when to use each.
Models
| Model | Best For |
|---|---|
| sonar | Simple factual lookups, current events |
| sonar-pro | Multi-source research, fact-checking |
| sonar-reasoning-pro | Why/how questions, complex analysis (default) |
| sonar-deep-research | Exhaustive research, comprehensive reports |
Research Storage
All research is automatically saved to:
~/Documents/Perplexity Research/
├── topic-name-2025-01-15.md
├── another-topic-2025-01-16.md
└── ...
You can browse your research history in Finder anytime.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY |
Your Perplexity API key | Required |
PERPLEXITY_RESEARCH_DIR |
Custom research directory | ~/Documents/Perplexity Research/ |
License
MIT
README fetched from the repository yesterday. The original is authoritative.