Perplexity MCP: Documentation
Updated:
Connection
Repo: github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol. Install: npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server (stdio). Auth: PERPLEXITY_API_KEY from the Perplexity API dashboard (after setting up paid billing).
Tools
perplexity_search — fast web search via the Sonar model, perplexity_ask — a conversational answer with context and cited sources, perplexity_research — deep research: a series of searches synthesized into a full report, perplexity_reason — reasons over already-found facts to reach a conclusion.
Agent flow
"Check whether this information is still current after the knowledge cutoff", "prepare a full report on topic X with sources", "answer this question factoring in the latest news".
Pricing
Billed per request, starting at $5 per 1,000 requests (deeper modes like perplexity_research cost more due to multiple internal searches). No free tier — requires active billing on the Perplexity API.
Note
An official Perplexity AI product. 2.4k GitHub stars. Deep research (perplexity_research) takes longer and costs more than a plain search — use it when depth matters more than speed.