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perplexity-mcp

(★ 307)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search functionality using Perplexity AI's API.

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- - __init__.py
  - server.py
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CHANGELOG.md
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pyproject.toml
README.md
smithery.yaml

# Installation Guide

1. Get the code

git clone https://github.com/jsonallen/perplexity-mcp

Downloads the entire project code from GitHub to your computer.

cd perplexity-mcp

Moves into the project folder you just downloaded.

2. Official Install Script

Easy Recommended

Prerequisites

Homebrew A package manager for macOS/Linux.

brew install uv

Installs the pre-built package via Homebrew — no source build required.

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Downloads and runs the official install script in one line — this handles the full setup automatically.

✅ After installing, open a new terminal and run the program's version command (e.g. --version) to confirm it worked.

Pulled directly from this repo's README.

3. Docker

Easy

Prerequisites

Git Needed to download the project code from GitHub.
Docker Desktop Needed to build and run containers. Install it and keep it running in the background.

docker build -t perplexity-mcp .

Builds a runnable image based on the Dockerfile.

docker run -p 8080:80 perplexity-mcp

Runs the built image as an actual container.

✅ Run docker compose ps to check the containers are Up. If the README mentions a port, open http://localhost:PORT in your browser.

4. Python

Easy

Prerequisites

Git Needed to download the project code from GitHub.
Python 3 On Windows, be sure to check 'Add Python to PATH' during installation.

pip install .

Installs the package published on PyPI directly — no need to clone the source.

python <실행할 파일명>.py # README에서 정확한 실행 파일명을 확인하세요

Runs the Python script (or module).

✅ If it runs without errors and prints output in the terminal, it worked.

// repository documentation

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# perplexity-mcp MCP server

[![smithery badge](https://smithery.ai/badge/perplexity-mcp)](https://smithery.ai/server/perplexity-mcp)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search functionality using [Perplexity AI's](https://www.perplexity.ai/) API. Works with the [Anthropic](https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol) Claude desktop client.

## Example

Let's you use prompts like, "Search the web to find out what's new at Anthropic in the past week."

## Glama Scores

<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/ebg0za4hn9"><img width="380" height="200" src="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/ebg0za4hn9/badge" alt="Perplexity Server MCP server" /></a>

## Components

### Prompts

The server provides a single prompt:

- perplexity_search_web: Search the web using Perplexity AI
  - Required "query" argument for the search query
  - Optional "recency" argument to filter results by time period:
    - 'day': last 24 hours
    - 'week': last 7 days
    - 'month': last 30 days (default)
    - 'year': last 365 days
  - Uses Perplexity's API to perform web searches

### Tools

The server implements one tool:

- perplexity_search_web: Search the web using Perplexity AI
  - Takes "query" as a required string argument
  - Optional "recency" parameter to filter results (day/week/month/year)
  - Returns search results from Perplexity's API

## Installation

### Installing via Smithery

To install Perplexity MCP for Claude Desktop automatically via [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/perplexity-mcp):

```bash
npx -y @smithery/cli install perplexity-mcp --client claude
```

### Requires [UV](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) (Fast Python package and project manager)

If uv isn't installed.

```bash
# Using Homebrew on macOS
brew install uv
```

or

```bash
# On macOS and Linux.
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# On Windows.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
```

### Environment Variables

The following environment variable is required in your claude_desktop_config.json. You can obtain an API key from [Perplexity](https://perplexity.ai)

- `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`: Your Perplexity AI API key

Optional environment variables:

- `PERPLEXITY_MODEL`: The Perplexity model to use (defaults to "sonar" if not specified)

Available models:

- `sonar-deep-research`: 128k context - Enhanced research capabilities
  - `sonar-reasoning-pro`: 128k context - Advanced reasoning with professional focus
  - `sonar-reasoning`: 128k context - Enhanced reasoning capabilities
  - `sonar-pro`: 200k context - Professional grade model
  - `sonar`: 128k context - Default model
  - `r1-1776`: 128k context - Alternative architecture

And updated list of models is avaiable (here)[https://docs.perplexity.ai/guides/model-cards]

### Cursor & Claude Desktop Installation

Add this tool as a mcp server by editing the Cursor/Claude config file.

```json
  "perplexity-mcp": {
    "env": {
      "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
      "PERPLEXITY_MODEL": "sonar"
    },
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": [
      "perplexity-mcp"
    ]
  }
```

#### Cursor
- On MacOS: `/Users/your-username/.cursor/mcp.json`
- On Windows: `C:\Users\your-username\.cursor\mcp.json`

If everything is working correctly, you should now be able to call the tool from Cursor.
<img width="800" alt="mcp_screenshot" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4b59774f-646c-41b3-9886-5cfd4c4ca051" width=600>

#### Claude Desktop
- On MacOS: `~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- On Windows: `%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

To verify the server is working. Open the Claude client and use a prompt like "search the web for news about openai in the past week". You should see an alert box open to confirm tool usage. Click "Allow for this chat".

<img width="600" alt="mcp_screenshot" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/922d8f6a-8c9a-4978-8be6-788e70b4d049" />