Perplexity MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| PERPLEXITY_API_KEY | Yes | Perplexity API key | |
| PERPLEXITY_TIMEOUT | No | API timeout in ms | 60000 |
| PERPLEXITY_DEFAULT_MODEL | No | Default model for text tools | sonar-pro |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Features and capabilities supported by this server
Protocol revision2025-11-25
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| tools | {} |
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| askA | Ask Perplexity a question with real-time web-grounded answers and citations. Trigger: 'use perplexity', 'ask perplexity', or 'perplexity:' followed by a question. |
| search_webB | Search the web using Perplexity with real-time results, domain filtering, recency filtering, and detailed citations. Best-in-class AI search. Trigger: 'perplexity search', 'perplexity web search', or 'search with perplexity'. |
| deep_researchA | Conduct deep, exhaustive research on a topic using Perplexity's sonar-deep-research model. Best for comprehensive analysis, literature reviews, and multi-source synthesis. May take longer. Trigger: 'perplexity research', 'perplexity deep research', or 'deep research with perplexity'. |
| search_with_reasoningA | Search the web with step-by-step reasoning using Perplexity's sonar-reasoning-pro model. Best for complex questions requiring multi-step analysis with live web data. Trigger: 'perplexity reason', 'perplexity think', or 'reason with perplexity'. |
| searchA | Get raw ranked search results from Perplexity's search index. Returns structured results with titles, URLs, and snippets. Best for getting a list of sources without AI synthesis. Trigger: 'perplexity raw search', 'perplexity search results'. |
| code_reviewB | Have Perplexity review code with web-grounded best practices and current documentation. Trigger: 'perplexity review', 'perplexity code review', or 'have perplexity review'. |
| brainstormB | Brainstorm solutions with Perplexity, informed by real-time web data and current trends. Trigger: 'perplexity brainstorm', 'brainstorm with perplexity', or 'perplexity ideas'. |
| explainB | Clear explanations of concepts, code, or technical topics using Perplexity with web-grounded accuracy. Trigger: 'perplexity explain'. |
| upload_fileA | Upload a document for Perplexity to analyze. Supports text files (txt, md, py, js, ts, csv, json, etc.) and images (png, jpg, gif, webp). Trigger: 'perplexity upload file', 'upload to perplexity'. |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No prompts | |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
No resources | |
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes, but ask and search_web both provide Q&A with citations, and search_with_reasoning adds step-by-step reasoning, causing minor potential confusion. However, descriptions and triggers help clarify differences.
All tool names follow a consistent lowercase underscore-separated verb or verb_noun pattern (e.g., ask, brainstorm, search_web), making them predictable and easy to reason about.
With 9 tools, the server covers a broad range of interactions with Perplexity without being overwhelming. Each tool serves a clear purpose, and the count feels well-scoped for an AI assistant.
The set covers core functionalities: Q&A, brainstorming, code review, deep research, explanations, raw search, web search, reasoning search, and file upload. Minor gaps like saving results or comparing sources are not essential for the domain.