Perplexity MCP: The Complete Guide (2026)

Search "Perplexity MCP" and you'll find two different things wearing the same name — which is exactly why the topic confuses people. This guide untangles both: how to use Perplexity's own MCP server to bring real-time web search into Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex, and how to use Perplexity as an MCP client by adding MCP servers to its Mac app. It's accurate as of July 2026, including the parts Perplexity is actively changing.

Last updated: July 2026. Perplexity's MCP support is in flux — the server is stable, but client-side (adding MCPs to Perplexity) is rolling out surface by surface; verify against Perplexity's docs before relying on a specific step.

"Perplexity MCP" Means Two Things

The Model Context Protocol has two sides — a server that exposes tools, and a client (your app) that calls them. "Perplexity MCP" can refer to either side:

1. Perplexity's MCP server — a package that exposes Perplexity's search and reasoning as tools other agents can call. This is what most people mean, and what the top search results point to. You install it in Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex.
2. Perplexity as an MCP client — the Perplexity app connecting to MCP servers you add, so Perplexity itself can use external tools. This is newer and, for now, more limited.

We'll take them in that order.

Part 1: Using Perplexity's MCP Server in Your Agent

This is the popular one: give Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex live web search and research by adding Perplexity's official server. It's the @perplexity-ai/mcp-server package, it runs locally over npx, and it authenticates with a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY you get from the Perplexity API dashboard. It exposes four tools — and knowing which one the agent should call matters as much as installing it:

A quick cost note, since "is Perplexity MCP free?" is one of the most common questions: the package is free and open source, but every tool call hits the paid Perplexity API — so you need an API key with credits. Budget for it the way you would any metered API, and prefer perplexity_search/perplexity_ask for routine queries over the heavier research and reasoning models.

Claude Code

claude mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_key" -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-server

Cursor

Add this under mcpServers in .cursor/mcp.json:

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

OpenAI Codex

Codex uses TOML — add this to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.perplexity]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@perplexity-ai/mcp-server"]
env = { "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY" = "your_key" }

That's it — the same local stdio server, in each agent's config format. For the full setup mechanics of each agent, see our guides for Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex. Perplexity also publishes one-click install buttons for Cursor and VS Code in its docs.

Part 2: Adding MCP Servers to Perplexity

Now the reverse: making Perplexity a client that calls your MCP servers. Per Perplexity's help center, this works today in the Perplexity Mac app (from the Mac App Store), for local MCP servers. Remote (HTTP) MCP support is rolling out to paid subscribers.

The setup lives under Settings → Connectors:

1. Install the PerplexityXPC helper application first — it's what lets Perplexity securely launch and talk to local MCP servers.
2. Back in Connectors, click Add Connector and choose the "Simple" tab.
3. Give it a Server Name (e.g. Filesystem) and the command that runs the MCP server — the same launch command you'd find in that server's README.
4. Click Save and wait for the connector to show a "Running" status.
5. On the Perplexity homepage, toggle your MCP on under "Sources."

Because it's the launch command Perplexity asks for, this is a local, stdio integration — the same shape as a command/args entry in other clients, just entered through a UI instead of a JSON file.

Platform note. As of July 2026, these MCP Connectors are macOS-only: the flow above needs the Mac App Store build and the PerplexityXPC helper, so Windows and Linux users can't yet add MCP servers to the Perplexity app. Remote (HTTP) connectors are rolling out to paid subscribers first.

If a connector won't run, work through these:

• Stuck on anything but "Running." The launch command is failing. Run that exact command in a terminal first — if it doesn't boot there (missing npx, wrong package name, uninstalled runtime), Perplexity can't start it either.
• No local connection at all. The PerplexityXPC helper isn't installed. Install it, quit and reopen Perplexity, then retry Add Connector.
• You're trying to paste a remote URL. Native remote MCP isn't available yet — wrap the URL with mcp-remote and add it as a local command instead (see the next section).
• Connector shows "Running" but Perplexity ignores it. Toggle the MCP on under "Sources" on the homepage; a running connector is still off until you enable it there.

Part 3: Adding DesignRevision MCP to Perplexity

DesignRevision MCP — the server that installs real shadcn/ui components — is a remote server (https://mcp.designrevision.com/mcp). Since Perplexity's Mac app currently connects to local servers, you bridge the remote endpoint into a local command with the mcp-remote package, then add it as a Connector.

In Settings → Connectors → Add Connector → Simple, set:

• Server Name: DesignRevision
• Command:

npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.designrevision.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Save, wait for "Running," and toggle it on under Sources. This is the same bridge pattern used to reach remote servers from Claude Desktop. When Perplexity's native remote MCP support ships, you'll be able to skip the bridge and add the https://mcp.designrevision.com/mcp URL directly.

Is Perplexity Dropping MCP?

Worth an honest answer, because it's the second-most-asked question about Perplexity MCP. As widely reported, Perplexity's CTO has signaled the company is moving away from MCP on the client side, toward APIs and CLIs — the reasoning being that tool schemas consume context tokens, auth is clunky, and for a single-product agent most MCP features go unused. That's a fair critique for Perplexity's own app.

But it's a narrow statement. It's about Perplexity-as-a-client, not the Perplexity MCP server, which remains fully supported and is what the overwhelming majority of "Perplexity MCP" searches are actually after. If your goal is to bring Perplexity's search into Claude Code or Cursor (Part 1), nothing here is going away. If your goal is to load servers into Perplexity (Part 2), expect that surface to evolve — lean on Perplexity's help center for the current state.

Which MCP Servers Work Everywhere

Whichever direction you're going, the servers themselves are client-agnostic — the same GitHub, Context7, Playwright, and DesignRevision MCP servers work across every agent, and only the config wrapper changes. To see how each AI coding agent configures MCP side by side, see our comparison of MCP clients, or pick a specific agent's ranked list in our roundups for Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex.

Conclusion

"Perplexity MCP" is really two topics. The server — @perplexity-ai/mcp-server — is the mature, popular one: an npx command and a PERPLEXITY_API_KEY bring Perplexity's live search into any agent. Perplexity as a client is newer, currently local-only on the Mac app via Connectors, and something Perplexity is openly reshaping. Know which one you need, use the exact config above, and for a remote server like DesignRevision MCP, bridge it with mcp-remote until native remote support lands.

Related Resources

• DesignRevision MCP — the shadcn/ui MCP server
• MCP Clients Compared: Every AI Coding Agent
• How to Add an MCP Server to Claude Code (2026 Guide)
• How to Add an MCP Server to Cursor (2026 Guide)
• How to Add an MCP Server to Codex CLI (2026 Guide)
• Claude Desktop MCP Config: How to Add a Server (2026)
• Browse the shadcn/ui component registry