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OfficialClaude connector: not verified

Perplexity MCP server & Claude connector

Does Perplexity have an official MCP server or Claude connector?

Official

As of October 2026, Perplexity publishes an official MCP server: a remote Streamable HTTP endpoint at api.perplexity.ai/mcp plus an open-source local server in the perplexityai GitHub org, both documented on docs.perplexity.ai. Sign-in uses OAuth or an API key. It exposes search, ask, research and reasoning tools; Claude directory listing not verified.

Last checked October 18, 2026

Verdict and evidence

What we checked: Perplexity MCP server
Published by: Perplexity (official)
Runs: Hosted (remote)
Sign-in: OAuth sign-in
Stage: unknown
Plan: Remote OAuth sign-in requires admin access to a Perplexity API organization that can pay for usage; the local server needs a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY.
Endpoint: https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp

Evidence

Perplexity MCP server guide (docs.perplexity.ai, seen October 18, 2026)
perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol (github.com, seen October 18, 2026)

What an AI can do in Perplexity

Read

Web search results with titles, URLs and snippetsperplexity_search
Conversational answers with web searchperplexity_ask
In-depth research with citationsperplexity_research
Step-by-step reasoningperplexity_reason

From the publisher’s documentation for the version we checked. Not every tool is listed.

Setup

Claude Code

Add the remote server, then authenticate.

claude mcp add --transport http perplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp

Source

Claude Code

Or run the local server with your API key.

claude mcp add perplexity --env 'PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=${PERPLEXITY_API_KEY}' -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server

Source

Cursor

Local server in mcp.json (the remote endpoint is configured with a url field instead).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Source

VS Code

Local server in .vscode/mcp.json (servers wrapper).

{
  "servers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Source

Claude (claude.ai / Desktop)

Claude Desktop: use the standard mcpServers format in claude_desktop_config.json (no separate snippet in the docs).

Source

Safety check

Pass
Publisher verified
Endpoint and docs on perplexity.ai; docs link to github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol (MIT) and npm package @perplexity-ai/mcp-server.
Pass
Auth model
Remote: OAuth sign-in or a bearer API key. Local: PERPLEXITY_API_KEY environment variable (a long-lived key; keep it out of shared configs).
Pass
Write and delete access
All four documented tools are query tools that return answers; none write to external accounts. Calls consume API usage.
Pass
Tool-description injection scan
Read src/server.ts (tool definitions) and the README; no text aimed at changing the AI's behavior (Jev check 0.07). The docs page opens with a 'Documentation Index' block telling AI tools to fetch llms.txt; not followed and not a tool description.
Pass
Repo maintenance
perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol: pushed 2026-10-17, not archived, 2,578 stars.

FAQ

Does Perplexity have an official MCP server?

Yes. Perplexity documents a remote endpoint at https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp and an open-source local server in github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol.

Is Perplexity a Claude connector?

Not verified. We could not confirm a listing in Anthropic's connector directory, but you can add the remote endpoint as a custom connector or use Claude Code.

Is it free?

No. The server calls Perplexity's API, and sign-in requires an API organization that can pay for usage.

Which tools does it have?

perplexity_search, perplexity_ask, perplexity_research and perplexity_reason.

Is it safe?

The tools only query and answer; none write to your accounts. The local mode needs an API key, so keep it in an environment variable.

Last reviewed October 18, 2026.

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