This project offers a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges Perplexity AI's web search capabilities with desktop AI clients, notably Anthropic Claude and Cursor. It empowers users to seamlessly integrate real-time web information into their AI interactions, enhancing the AI's ability to answer questions requiring up-to-date external data.

How It Works

The server implements a perplexity_search_web tool, allowing AI clients to query Perplexity AI's API for web searches. Users can specify a search query and an optional recency parameter to filter results by time period ('day', 'week', 'month', 'year'). The system supports various Perplexity models, such as 'sonar' and 'sonar-pro', enabling users to select models optimized for different research needs and context lengths. This architecture directly injects web search functionality into the AI's operational context.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Primarily via Smithery: npx -y @smithery/cli install perplexity-mcp --client claude.
• Prerequisites: Requires the UV package manager. Installation instructions are provided for macOS (Homebrew: brew install uv), Linux/macOS (curl script), and Windows (PowerShell).
• Configuration: A Perplexity AI API key is mandatory, set via the PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable. An optional PERPLEXITY_MODEL variable allows choosing from available Perplexity models. The server must be registered in client configuration files (mcp.json for Cursor, claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop).
• Setup: Involves obtaining an API key and configuring the client's JSON file, typically a quick process.

Highlighted Details

• Enables natural language web searches directly within AI chat interfaces.
• Supports time-based filtering of search results ('day', 'week', 'month', 'year').
• Offers flexibility in choosing Perplexity AI models for tailored search performance.
• Designed for seamless integration with AI desktop clients like Cursor and Claude Desktop.

Maintenance & Community

The provided README snippet does not contain information regarding maintainers, community channels (e.g., Discord, Slack), or project roadmaps.

Licensing & Compatibility

The specific open-source license is not mentioned in the provided documentation. Compatibility is explicitly stated for Cursor and Claude Desktop clients.

Limitations & Caveats

The project's functionality is dependent on Perplexity AI's API availability and terms of service. Details on error handling, rate limiting, or advanced configuration are not elaborated. The absence of a specified license may pose a barrier for certain commercial or closed-source integration scenarios.