Provides access to Perplexity's AI models through two tools: 'perplexity_ask' for sending single questions and 'perplexity_chat' for multi-turn conversations, with support for customizable model selection.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Perplexity MCP ServerResearch the latest developments in quantum computing"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
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
Related MCP server: Perplexity MCP Server
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 |
| Your Perplexity API key | Required |
| Custom research directory |
|
License
MIT