Perplexity MCP Zerver

Perplexity MCP Zerver

A minimalist research server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to deliver AI-powered research capabilities through Perplexity's web interface.

Research Capabilities

• Intelligent Web Research: Search and summarize content without API limits
• Persistent Conversations: Maintain context with local SQLite chat storage
• Content Extraction: Clean article extraction with GitHub repository parsing
• Developer Tooling: Documentation retrieval, API discovery, code analysis
• Keyless Operation: Browser automation replaces API key requirements

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Available Tools

Search (search)

Perform research queries with configurable depth
Returns raw text results

Get Documentation (get_documentation)

Retrieve technical documentation with examples
Returns structured documentation

Find APIs (find_apis)

Discover relevant APIs for development needs
Returns API listings and descriptions

Check Deprecated Code (check_deprecated_code)

Analyze code snippets for outdated patterns
Returns analysis report

Extract URL Content (extract_url_content)

Parse web content with automatic GitHub handling
Returns structured content metadata

Chat (chat_perplexity)

Persistent conversations with context history
Returns conversation state in JSON format

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Bun runtime
• Node.js 18+ (for TypeScript compilation)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/wysh3/perplexity-mcp-zerver.git
cd perplexity-mcp-zerver
bun install
bun run build

Configuration

Add to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perplexity-server": {
      "command": "bun",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/build/main.js"],
      "timeout": 300
    }
  }
}

Usage

Initiate commands through your MCP client:

• "Use perplexity to research quantum computing advancements"
• "Ask perplexity-server for React 18 documentation"
• "Begin conversation with perplexity about neural networks"

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🔐 Pro Account Support (Optional)

Use your Perplexity Pro subscription for access to better models (GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5) and higher limits.

One-Time Setup

bun run build
bun run login

A browser window will open. Log in using email (recommended for best compatibility), then close the browser. Your session is now saved!

Note: Google/SSO login may work but email login is more reliable with the browser automation.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
PERPLEXITY_BROWSER_DATA_DIR	~/.perplexity-mcp	Browser profile directory
PERPLEXITY_PERSISTENT_PROFILE	true	Set to false for anonymous mode

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Technical Comparison

Feature	This Implementation	Traditional APIs
Authentication	None required	API keys
Cost	Free	Usage-based
Data Privacy	Local processing	Remote servers
GitHub Integration	Native support	Limited
History Persistence	SQLite storage	Session-based

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Troubleshooting

Server Connection Issues

1. Verify absolute path in configuration
2. Confirm Node.js installation with node -v
3. Ensure build completed successfully

Content Extraction

• GitHub paths must use full repository URLs
• Adjust link recursion depth in source configuration

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Origins & License

based on - DaInfernalCoder/perplexity-researcher-mcp
refactored from - sm-moshi/docshunter

Licensed under GNU GPL v3.0 - View License

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This project interfaces with Perplexity via browser automation. Use responsibly and ethically. Stability depends on Perplexity's website consistency. Educational use only.