PerplexitySAFE
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search functionality using Perplexity AI's API.
Overview
From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.
[](https://smithery.ai/server/perplexity-mcp)
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search functionality using Perplexity AI's API. Works with the Anthropic Claude desktop client.
Example
Let's you use prompts like, "Search the web to find out what's new at Anthropic in the past week."
Glama Scores
Components
Prompts
The server provides a single prompt:
- perplexitysearchweb: Search the web using Perplexity AI
- Required "query" argument for the search query
- Optional "recency" argument to filter results by time period:
- 'day': last 24 hours
- 'week': last 7 days
- 'month': last 30 days (default)
- 'year': last 365 days
- Uses Perplexity's API to perform web searches
Tools
The server implements one tool:
- perplexitysearchweb: Search the web using Perplexity AI
- Takes "query" as a required string argument
- Optional "recency" parameter to filter results (day/week/month/year)
- Returns search results from Perplexity's API
Installation
Installing via Smithery
To install Perplexity MCP for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install perplexity-mcp --client claude
Requires UV (Fast Python package and project manager)
If uv isn't installed.
# Using Homebrew on macOS brew install uv
or
# On macOS and Linux. curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # On Windows. powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
Environment Variables
The follow
b9a35e989ce9OBSERVED · 2026-10-03Connect
Built from this server's own package name, version and transport as found in its source — not copied from anyone's documentation, so it cannot drift against a page we do not control. Replace the environment placeholders with a token scoped to the least it needs.
claude mcp add perplexity-mcp --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=${PERPLEXITY_API_KEY} -- uvx perplexity-mcp{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"perplexity-mcp"
],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "${PERPLEXITY_API_KEY}"
}
}
}
}Exposed tools (1)
1 read · 0 write · 0 destructive.
| Tool | Risk | Description |
|---|---|---|
perplexity_search_web | read | Search the web using Perplexity AI with recency filtering |
Trust audit
SAFEgrade B · trust 89/100 Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.
| Layer | What it checks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| L0 | Provenance & inventory | PASS |
| L1 | Static analysis of the code | PASS |
| L2 | Instruction surface (what it tells the agent) | PASS |
| L3 | Class-specific surface | PASS |
| L4 | Behavioural (sandbox) | SKIPPED |
What the source does
- Filesystem
- none-observed
- Network
- declared (1 observation(s))
- Shell
- none-observed
- Dependencies
- pinned
- Secrets in source
- none-found
Findings (1)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.
b9a35e989ce9full audit observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/jsonallen__perplexity-4.json · Report an issue / request a re-scanAudit history
Every audit this server has had. A grade with a past is a grade somebody is still checking.
| Date | Source | Verdict | Grade | Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-03 | b9a35e989ce9 | SAFE | B | 89 | first audit |
Questions
What is the Perplexity MCP server?
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides web search functionality using Perplexity AI's API.
What tools does Perplexity expose?
1 in total: 1 read-only, 0 that write, and 0 that can delete or overwrite. Every one is listed on this page with its risk.
Is Perplexity safe to connect to an agent?
The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (89/100). Grade A is held back for packages that have also passed a sandboxed behavioural run, which is why a clean server reads B.
What credentials does Perplexity need?
It reads PERPLEXITY_API_KEY from the environment. Give it a token scoped to the least it needs — an agent that can be talked into calling a tool can be talked into calling it with your credentials.
How does Perplexity run?
It speaks stdio, so it runs as a local process your client starts. It is published on PyPI as perplexity-mcp.
How current is this page?
The grade is for one exact copy of the source (b9a35e989ce9), read on 2026-10-03. The repository is watched and re-audited when it changes.