Atlas / MCP servers / ppl-ai / Perplexity Ask

Perplexity AskSAFE

Name: Perplexity Ask
Author: ppl-ai

mcp/ppl-ai/perplexity-ask

MCP server by ppl-ai · Audited 2026-09-24

⚑ Report / re-scan Source ↗

The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform

Verdict

SAFE

Grade

Trust score

89 /100

Exposed tools

4 4r · 0w · 0d

Transport

stdio · streamable-http

License

MIT

Stars

2,540

Overview

From the repository's own README, as read at the audited commit. Badges and raw HTML are left out.

[](https://cursor.com/install-mcp?name=perplexity&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2FwaS5wZXJwbGV4aXR5LmFpL21jcCIsImhlYWRlcnMiOnsiQXV0aG9yaXphdGlvbiI6IkJlYXJlciBZT1VSX0FQSV9LRVkifX0%3D)

[](https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=perplexity&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.perplexity.ai%2Fmcp%22%2C%22headers%22%3A%7B%22Authorization%22%3A%22Bearer%20%24%7Binput%3Aperplexity-api-key%7D%22%7D%7D&inputs=%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22promptString%22%2C%22id%22%3A%22perplexity-api-key%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22Perplexity%20API%20Key%22%2C%22password%22%3Atrue%7D%5D)

[![Add to Kiro](https://img.shields.io/badge/AddtoKiro-9046FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=data:image/svg+xml;base64,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

Read from source at commit 0ed911c73ae0OBSERVED · 2026-09-24

Connect

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-code (npm)

claude mcp add mcp-server -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/[email protected]

Exposed tools (4)

4 read · 0 write · 0 destructive.

Tool	Risk	Description
`perplexity_ask`	read
`perplexity_reason`	read
`perplexity_research`	read
`perplexity_search`	read

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: none-observed
Shell: none-observed
Dependencies: not all pinned
Secrets in source: none-found

Findings (5)

LOWNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319

src/http.config.test.ts:47

baseUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`;

LOWNetwork egress · net.raw_ip · CWE-200, CWE-319

src/http.config.test.ts:61

baseUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`;

LOWObfuscation / stealth · obf.base64_blob · CWE-506, CWE-94

README.md:7

[![Add to Kiro](https://img.shields.io/badge/Add_to_Kiro-9046FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMTkxIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjIyNi44MTQiIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxOTEgMjI2LjgxNCIgZmlsb

LOWSupply chain · supply.unpinned · CWE-829, CWE-1357

package.json

@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, cors, express, undici, zod, @types/cors, @types/express, @types/node

Why it matters. 13 dependency range(s) float

Fix. pin exact versions or ship a lockfile

LOWSupply chain · supply.unpinned · CWE-829, CWE-1357

perplexity-ask/package.json

@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, axios, dotenv, @types/node, shx, typescript

Why it matters. 6 dependency range(s) float

Fix. pin exact versions or ship a lockfile

Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.

Audited 2026-09-24 · audit v0.4.1 · source sha 0ed911c73ae0full audit observations/trust-audit/mcp-server/ppl-ai__perplexity-ask.json · Report an issue / request a re-scan

Audit 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
2026-09-24	`0ed911c73ae0`	SAFE	B	89	first audit

Questions

What is the Perplexity Ask MCP server?

The official MCP server implementation for the Perplexity API Platform

What tools does Perplexity Ask expose?

4 in total: 4 read-only, 0 that write, and 0 that can delete or overwrite. Every one is listed on this page with its risk.

Is Perplexity Ask 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 Ask 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 Ask run?

It speaks stdio and streamable-http, so it runs as a local process your client starts. It is published on npm as @perplexity-ai/mcp-server at 0.2.0.

How current is this page?

The grade is for one exact copy of the source (0ed911c73ae0), read on 2026-09-24. The repository is watched and re-audited when it changes.

Source	ppl-ai/modelcontextprotocol
npm	`@perplexity-ai/mcp-server@0.2.0`
Transports	stdio · streamable-http
Credentials it reads	`PERPLEXITY_API_KEY`
License	MIT
Activity	pushed 28d ago