Perplexity AI MCP server

This Python-based MCP server provides an interface to the Perplexity API, allowing you to ask questions, maintain chat history, and manage conversations. It mimics user interactions with Perplexity Chat by enabling models to ask questions, continue conversations, and list chats.

Installation and Configuration

Prerequisites

Before using this MCP server, ensure you have:

• Python 3.10 or higher
• uvx package manager installed

Configuration

Configure your client with these settings (configuration method varies by client):

"mcpServers": {
  "mcp-perplexity": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["mcp-perplexity"],
    "env": {
      "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
      "PERPLEXITY_MODEL": "sonar-pro",
      "DB_PATH": "chats.db"
    }
  }
}

Smithery CLI Configuration

You can also run the server using Smithery CLI:

npx -y @smithery/cli@latest run @daniel-lxs/mcp-perplexity --config "{\"perplexityApiKey\":\"pplx-abc\",\"perplexityModel\":\"sonar-pro\"}"

Environment Variables

Configure the server using these environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default Value	Required
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY	Your Perplexity API key	None	Yes
PERPLEXITY_MODEL	Default model for interactions	sonar-pro	No
PERPLEXITY_MODEL_ASK	Specific model for ask_perplexity tool	Uses PERPLEXITY_MODEL	No
PERPLEXITY_MODEL_CHAT	Specific model for chat_perplexity tool	Uses PERPLEXITY_MODEL	No
DB_PATH	Path to store chat history database	chats.db	No
WEB_UI_ENABLED	Enable or disable web UI	false	No
WEB_UI_PORT	Port for web UI	8050	No
WEB_UI_HOST	Host for web UI	127.0.0.1	No
DEBUG_LOGS	Enable detailed logging	false	No

Available Tools

ask_perplexity

Used for specific questions without maintaining chat history. Each request creates a new chat.

• Uses the PERPLEXITY_MODEL_ASK model if specified, or falls back to PERPLEXITY_MODEL
• Focuses on coding solutions, error debugging, and technical explanations
• Returns responses with source citations and alternative suggestions

chat_perplexity

Used for ongoing conversations while maintaining chat history.

• Creates new chats or continues existing ones with full history context
• Returns a chat ID (e.g., wild-horse-12) for future continuation
• Uses the PERPLEXITY_MODEL_CHAT model if specified, or falls back to PERPLEXITY_MODEL
• Ideal for debugging, research, and tasks requiring conversation context

list_chats_perplexity

Lists all available chat conversations.

• Returns a paginated list of chats with IDs, titles, and creation dates
• Creation dates appear in relative format (e.g., "5 minutes ago")
• Pagination shows 50 chats per page
• Accepts a page parameter (defaults to 1)

read_chat_perplexity

Retrieves the complete conversation history for a specific chat.

• Returns full chat history with all messages and timestamps
• No API calls are made to Perplexity - only reads from local storage
• Requires a valid chat_id parameter

Web UI

The server includes an optional web interface for easier interaction and chat management.

Accessing the Web UI

When WEB_UI_ENABLED is set to true, the web UI will be available at http://WEB_UI_HOST:WEB_UI_PORT.

By default, this is http://127.0.0.1:8050.

Web UI Features

• Interactive chat interface
• Chat history management
• Real-time message display

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "mcp-perplexity" '{"command":"uvx","args":["mcp-perplexity"],"env":{"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY":"your-api-key","PERPLEXITY_MODEL":"sonar-pro","DB_PATH":"chats.db"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For 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 > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp-perplexity": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-perplexity"
            ],
            "env": {
                "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
                "PERPLEXITY_MODEL": "sonar-pro",
                "DB_PATH": "chats.db"
            }
        }
    }
}

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 explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp-perplexity": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-perplexity"
            ],
            "env": {
                "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
                "PERPLEXITY_MODEL": "sonar-pro",
                "DB_PATH": "chats.db"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect