Perplexity MCP Zerver

Interact with Perplexity.ai using Puppeteer without an API key. Requires Node.js and stores chat history locally.

GitHub

Perplexity MCP Zerver

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

MCP Compatible TypeScript Codebase Tests Passing Bun Runtime

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

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Analyze code snippets for outdated patterns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

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"

Technical Comparison

FeatureThis ImplementationTraditional APIs
AuthenticationNone requiredAPI keys
CostFreeUsage-based
Data PrivacyLocal processingRemote servers
GitHub IntegrationNative supportLimited
History PersistenceSQLite storageSession-based

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

Origins & License

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

Licensed under GNU GPL v3.0 - View License

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

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