Your own research assistant inside of Claude! Utilizes Perplexity's Sonar Pro API to get documentation, create up-to-date API routes, and check deprecated code. Includes Chain of Thought Reasoning and local chat history through SQLite.
Performs general search queries to get comprehensive information on any topic. Supports different detail levels (brief, normal, detailed) to get tailored responses.
Retrieves documentation and usage examples for specific technologies, libraries, or APIs. Get comprehensive documentation including best practices and common pitfalls.
Discovers and evaluates APIs that could be integrated into a project. Get detailed analysis of features, pricing, and integration complexity.
Analyzes code for deprecated features or patterns, providing migration guidance. Helps modernize code by suggesting current best practices.
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System Requirements:
- Node.js (install from nodejs.org)
- Python with distutils (required for some npm dependencies)
# On macOS with Homebrew: brew install python-setuptools
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API Key:
- Get your Perplexity API key from perplexity.ai/settings/api
-
Create Project Directory:
mkdir -p ~/Documents/Claude/MCP cd ~/Documents/Claude/MCP
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Clone the Repository:
git clone https://github.com/pashpashpash/perplexity-mcp.git cd perplexity-mcp -
Install Dependencies:
npm install
Note: If you see Python distutils errors, make sure you've installed python-setuptools as mentioned in prerequisites.
-
Build the Project:
npm run build
This will create the build directory with the compiled server code.
- Configure Claude Desktop:
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity-server": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/perplexity-mcp/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
},
"autoApprove": [
"search",
"get_documentation",
"find_apis",
"check_deprecated_code"
]
}
}
}Note:
- Replace "path/to/perplexity-mcp" with the absolute path to your cloned repository
- Replace "your-api-key-here" with your Perplexity API key
- Make sure to use "/build/index.js" (not "/dist/index.js")
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Manual Start:
cd path/to/perplexity-mcp PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" node build/index.js
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Verify Server: The server should start without any errors. Keep this terminal window open while using the server.
{
"query": "What are the best practices for React hooks?",
"detail_level": "detailed"
}{
"technology": "React",
"topic": "useEffect hook",
"include_examples": true
}{
"category": "payment processing",
"requirements": ["recurring billing", "international support"]
}{
"code": "class MyComponent extends React.Component {...}",
"framework": "React",
"version": "18"
}-
Build Directory Issues:
- Make sure you're using the correct path in Claude Desktop config
- Verify the build directory exists after running
npm run build - Check that the path is using
/build/index.js, not/dist/index.js
-
Server Connection Issues:
- Ensure the server is running in a separate terminal
- Verify the API key is properly set in the environment
- Check Claude Desktop's MCP logs:
tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
-
Python Dependencies:
- If you see Python distutils errors during npm install:
brew install python-setuptools
- Then retry
npm install
- If you see Python distutils errors during npm install:
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build the project
npm run build
# Development with auto-rebuild
npm run watch
# Start server with debug output
DEBUG=* node build/index.jsFor detailed examples and usage guides, see:
MIT
Note: This is a fork of the original perplexity-mcp repository.