--- title: "Perplexity MCP server: web search, answers and deep research for AI agents" canonical_url: https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/perplexity last_updated: 2026-10-03T10:04:47+02:00 type: mcp summary: "The Perplexity MCP server gives AI agents Perplexity's web search, quick answers with citations, step-by-step reasoning and long research runs, all billed to a Perplexity API account." install: "claude mcp add --transport http perplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp" related: - "https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/apify" - "https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/brave-search" - "https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/exa" - "https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/firecrawl" --- # Perplexity MCP server The Perplexity MCP server gives AI agents Perplexity's web search, quick answers with citations, step-by-step reasoning and long research runs, all billed to a Perplexity API account. | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Publisher | Perplexity (official) | | Source | https://github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol | | License | MIT | | GitHub stars | 2,550 on 2026-10-02 | | Last code push | 2026-09-25 | | Page updated | 2026-10-03 | | Hosted endpoint | https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp | | Official MCP Registry | ai.perplexity/mcp-server | | Documented clients | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, Google Antigravity, Kiro, Windsurf | | Category | Web search and scraping | | Free tier | Paid only | | Cost | The server is free and open source under MIT, but every call is billed to your Perplexity API account, which has no free tier. | | Current prices | https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/getting-started/pricing | | Facts checked | 2026-10-02 | ## Connect Claude Code, remote server (sign in through /mcp): ``` claude mcp add --transport http perplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp ``` Claude Code, remote server with an API key: ``` claude mcp add --transport http perplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" ``` Codex, local server: ``` codex mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key_here" -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server ``` Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, Kiro or VS Code, local server: ``` {"mcpServers": {"perplexity": {"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"], "env": {"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your_key_here"}}}} ``` With OAuth, the first call opens a browser where you sign in to Perplexity and choose which API organization pays. In Claude.ai, add https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp as a custom connector. Strict clients that fail on startup can use npx -yq instead of npx -y. ## Ask your coding agent ```text Connect the Perplexity MCP server to my coding agent using its documented setup: https://github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol. ``` ## What it does The Perplexity MCP server connects an AI agent to the Perplexity API Platform. It adds four tools that differ in depth. The search tool returns ranked web results with metadata from the Search API, with filters for recency and domains. The ask tool answers a question in a conversational way using live web search, which suits quick lookups. The other two tools take longer. The reason tool works through an analytical problem step by step, and the research tool runs a deep, multi-step investigation that can last minutes and returns a detailed report; the server streams progress to clients that ask for it. Current versions run these tools on Perplexity's Agent API presets, which Perplexity tunes over time, instead of the older Sonar model names. Perplexity hosts the server at api.perplexity.ai/mcp, reached by OAuth sign-in or an API key, and publishes the same code on npm to run locally or in Docker. The GitHub repo had 2,549 stars on 2026-10-01. It is also packaged as a Claude Code plugin and an Agent Plugin. Tools it gives your agent: `perplexity_search`, `perplexity_ask`, `perplexity_reason`, `perplexity_research` ## When to use it - You want an agent to get a cited answer from the web in one call, not a list of links. - You need a long research report on a topic and can wait a few minutes for it. - You want plain ranked search results filtered to recent pages or chosen domains. - Your team already pays for the Perplexity API and wants it inside its editor. ## When to pick something else - Free use: there is no free allowance on the API pricing page, so every search and answer is billed, and research runs can cost more than a simple search. ## What it needs - A Perplexity API account (OAuth sign-in) or API key from the Perplexity console - Node.js, only when running the server locally ## Questions people ask ### Is the Perplexity MCP server free? The server code is free, but calls are not: they are billed to the Perplexity API, per request for search and per token for answers and research (pricing docs, 2026-10-01). A Perplexity Pro chat subscription is a separate product. ### Which Perplexity MCP tool should an agent use? perplexity_search for raw results, perplexity_ask for a quick cited answer, perplexity_reason for analysis, and perplexity_research for a long report that can take minutes. ### Does it work in Codex and Cursor? Yes. Perplexity's README gives a codex mcp add command and a Cursor one-click install, plus config for Claude Desktop, Windsurf, Kiro and VS Code. ## Related ### Other MCP servers for web search and scraping - [Apify](https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/apify): The Apify MCP server gives AI agents thousands of ready-made scrapers and automation tools from Apify Store, such as Google Maps, Instagram and search result scrapers, which the agent can find and run on demand. - [Brave Search](https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/brave-search): The Brave Search MCP server gives AI agents Brave's independent search index: web, news, image, video, local and place search, plus pre-extracted page text for grounding and AI summaries. - [Exa](https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/exa): The Exa MCP server gives AI agents web search and page reading through Exa's search engine, plus optional advanced filters and Exa Agent runs for multi-step research with structured output. - [Firecrawl](https://cookiesforai.app/mcp/firecrawl): The Firecrawl MCP server gives AI agents live web access through Firecrawl: search the web, scrape a URL into Markdown or JSON, map and crawl whole sites, and click through pages.