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How to add Perplexity to Claude Desktop

Official Perplexity MCP server — web search, ask, deep research, and reasoning via Sonar models. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 2.3k★ · stdio · apikey · official

Claude Desktop config for Perplexity

npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "<your-perplexity-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Perplexity config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm Perplexity's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • Node.js with npx available
  • A Perplexity API key from the API portal at https://www.perplexity.ai/account/api/group (set as PERPLEXITY_API_KEY)
  • API access requires adding a payment method / credits to your Perplexity account

What Perplexity can do in Claude Desktop

perplexity_search

Direct web search via the Perplexity Search API, returning ranked search results.

perplexity_ask

General-purpose conversational answers with real-time web search using the sonar-pro model.

perplexity_research

Deep, comprehensive research and detailed reports using the sonar-deep-research model.

perplexity_reason

Advanced reasoning and problem-solving for complex analytical tasks using sonar-reasoning-pro.

Security

Requires a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY that incurs usage charges; keep it secret and rotate if exposed. Returned answers summarize live web content, so verify citations before relying on them for high-stakes decisions.

Perplexity + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Perplexity config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Perplexity safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Requires a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY that incurs usage charges; keep it secret and rotate if exposed. Returned answers summarize live web content, so verify citations before relying on them for high-stakes decisions.

Is the Perplexity API free?

No. The Sonar API is usage-based and requires a payment method/credits on your Perplexity account; there is no fully free tier for the MCP server's API calls.

What is the difference between perplexity_research and perplexity_reason?

Research uses sonar-deep-research for thorough, report-style analysis, while reason uses sonar-reasoning-pro for structured multi-step problem solving on complex analytical tasks.

What does the strip_thinking parameter do?

On the research and reasoning tools, setting strip_thinking: true removes intermediate thinking tags from the response, reducing token usage in your client's context.

View repo Full Perplexity page