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Perplexity Ask MCP Server

@ppl-ai

About Perplexity Ask MCP Server

The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform

Basic information

Category

AI & Agents

License

MIT

Runtime

node

Transports

stdio

Publisher

ppl-ai

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity-ask": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@chatmcp/server-perplexity-ask"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

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Overview

What is Perplexity Ask MCP Server?

It is 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. It is designed for developers integrating Perplexity into MCP-compatible clients such as Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and others.

How to use Perplexity Ask MCP Server?

Install the npm package @perplexity-ai/mcp-server and run it via npx -y in stdio mode, or deploy as an HTTP server using Docker or Node.js. Set the PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable to your API key from the Perplexity API Portal. Configure clients by adding a mcpServers entry in their respective config files (e.g., ~/.cursor/mcp.json for Cursor). Optional environment variables include PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT_MS, PERPLEXITY_BASE_URL, PERPLEXITY_LOG_LEVEL, and PERPLEXITY_PROXY for proxy support.

Key features of Perplexity Ask MCP Server

  • 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.

Use cases of Perplexity Ask MCP Server

  • Performing quick web searches within an AI assistant to retrieve current information.
  • Answering everyday questions with conversational AI that includes real-time search context.
  • Generating thorough research reports and deep analysis on complex topics.
  • Solving intricate analytical tasks requiring advanced reasoning and multi-step problem-solving.

FAQ from Perplexity Ask MCP Server

Why am I getting an API key error?

Ensure the PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable is set to a valid API key from the Perplexity API Portal.

What should I do if a tool

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