Perplexity MCP server for AI agents

The Perplexity MCP Server allows you to integrate Perplexity AI capabilities into your applications using the Machine Control Protocol (MCP). This server acts as a bridge between your application and Perplexity's AI services, requiring minimal configuration to get started.

Installation Requirements

Before setting up the Perplexity MCP Server, ensure you have:

Node.js installed on your system
A valid Perplexity API key
Access to your project's MCP configuration file

Server Configuration

Local Development Server

To set up the local development server, add the following configuration to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "alwaysAllow": []
    }
  }
}

Configuration Parameters

command: Specifies the executable to run (Node.js in this case)
args: Array of arguments passed to the command (path to your built index.js file)
env: Environment variables, including your Perplexity API key
disabled: Boolean flag to enable/disable the server
alwaysAllow: List of functions that are always allowed without specific permissions

Setting Up Your API Key

For security reasons, it's best to avoid hardcoding your API key in the configuration file. Instead:

Create a .env file in your project root:
```
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=your-actual-api-key
```
Load the environment variables in your application
Reference the environment variable in your MCP configuration:
```
"env": {
  "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "${PERPLEXITY_API_KEY}"
}
```

Starting the Server

Once configured, the MCP server will start automatically when your application loads the MCP configuration. No additional steps are required to initialize the server.

Testing the Connection

To verify your Perplexity MCP server is running correctly, you can use the MCP client to send a test request:

// Example test request
const mcpClient = new MCPClient();
const response = await mcpClient.perplexity.query({
  prompt: "Hello, world!"
});
console.log(response);

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection Refused: Ensure the path in your configuration points to the correct index.js file
Authentication Error: Verify your API key is correct and properly set in the environment
Server Not Starting: Check that the "disabled" flag is set to false in your configuration

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.