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Perplexity MCP Server

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.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "family-it-guy-perplexity-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@familyitguy/perplexity-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

You run a specialized MCP server that integrates Perplexity research capabilities into Claude Desktop, enabling intelligent model selection, multi-model synthesis, persistent research history, and built-in citations. This server makes it easy to run research queries, store results, and reuse past findings from a local workspace.

How to use

Once the MCP server is installed, you communicate with it through your MCP client to perform intelligent searches and structured research. Use the available actions to quickly research current topics, run deep multi-model analyses, and search your saved threads for relevant findings. The server automatically selects appropriate Perplexity models for your queries, saves every result to your local research folder, and attaches sources to each response for traceability.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing: Node.js 18 or newer, Claude Desktop, and a Perplexity API key.

1. Install Node.js 18+ from the official source and ensure node --version reports a compatible version.

2. Install Claude Desktop from your usual channel and verify it runs on your system.

3. Obtain a Perplexity API key from perplexity.ai/settings/api and keep it ready.

4. Configure the MCP connection by creating the MCP server entry with the required runtime configuration.

5. Restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server configuration.

Configuration and usage notes

MCP server configuration enables Claude Desktop to connect to Perplexity MCP. The following runtime configuration is used to run the MCP server locally via npx.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity-research": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@familyitguy/perplexity-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available tools

research

Intelligent Perplexity search with auto-logging.

deep_research

Multi-model synthesis for comprehensive research.

search_research

Search past research for existing findings.

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.