Perplexity MCP: Add a Custom Remote Connector
Perplexity accepts custom remote MCP servers, and one of its own help pages will tell you otherwise. The older article still says remote MCP is “coming soon” while local MCP is available on the Mac app. The current one documents a full remote connector flow, including OAuth, transport selection, and enterprise networking. The flow is live. If you land on the stale page first, you may conclude the feature does not exist.
Here is what actually works today.
Adding a custom remote connector
- Go to Account settings → Connectors. Admins configuring this for an organization use Enterprise settings → Permissions → Connectors permissions instead.
- Click + Custom connector in the top right.
- In the pop-up, select Remote.
- Fill in Name and the MCP Server URL. HTTPS is required.
- Optionally set a Description, an Authentication method, a Transport, and an icon under 128 KB.
- Tick the acknowledgement box and click Add.
- Click the connector card to run the authentication flow and enable it.
Editing or removing one later is the ellipsis menu on that card.
The fields that decide whether it connects
Authentication offers three choices. None for a server that needs no credentials, API Key for a static key, and OAuth 2.0 for the usual flow. If your server supports OAuth discovery at /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server, Perplexity detects the endpoints and scopes for you. If it does not, you supply a Client ID and Client Secret yourself.
Transport is either Streamable HTTP or SSE. Pick what your server actually speaks; a mismatch here fails validation rather than failing quietly later.
If you are registering an OAuth app on the other side, the redirect URL to whitelist is https://www.perplexity.ai/rest/connections/oauth_callback, or the enterprise.perplexity.ai equivalent on an Enterprise subdomain. The callback path is always /rest/connections/oauth_callback.
The admin toggle that blocks most business accounts
On an organization, “Allow members to add custom connectors” is disabled by default. So an ordinary member on a company Perplexity account will not find the option at all until an admin turns it on, and nothing on the screen explains why it is missing.
Admins can also add connectors organization-wide, but sharing is a separate step. A connector an admin creates stays private until it is shared from Enterprise settings → Permissions, which is why colleagues often report not seeing something that was definitely set up.
For servers that are not on the public internet, Perplexity supports Cloudflare Access with service tokens, and AWS PrivateLink for Enterprise organizations through an account team. Both are more involved than a public HTTPS endpoint, which needs none of it.
What an MCP connector in Perplexity cannot do
MCP servers wait to be asked. The protocol has no scheduler and no event mechanism, and its maintainers acknowledge that change detection today means polling. An MCP connection can answer a question. It cannot notice something on its own. Carly's workflows are what do that part.
Perplexity is exceptionally good at the ask-and-answer shape, and a connector extends that reach considerably. What it does not add is initiative. Nothing on the other side of that connector is being watched, so the question still has to come from you, every time.
Give Perplexity a connector that works while you are away
Carly is a remote MCP server that holds your accounts and runs work on real events, which is the half MCP leaves out.
- Add your accounts to Carly. Sign in at carlyassistant.com, open Integrations, pick the service, click Connect, and authorize. Click Connect again for the next one and keep going for as many as you want. Carly connects to thousands of apps, so mail, calendars, files, and your CRM all sit behind one connector.
- Add Carly to Perplexity. Go to Account settings → Connectors, click + Custom connector, choose Remote, name it Carly, and enter
https://carlyassistant.com/mcp/. It is a public HTTPS endpoint, so no Cloudflare Access or PrivateLink setup is needed. - Ask across everything. One question now reaches every account you connected, and the workflows behind it keep running when Perplexity is closed.
Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Connecting Carly costs nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Perplexity support MCP?
Yes. Custom remote connectors accept any HTTPS MCP server URL from Account settings → Connectors. Perplexity also supports local MCP servers on the Mac app through a helper application.
Why is the custom connector option missing in Perplexity?
On an organization account, “Allow members to add custom connectors” is off by default, so an admin has to enable it before members see the option.
Why does Perplexity’s help page say remote MCP is coming soon?
That page is out of date. A newer help article documents the live remote connector flow in full, including authentication, transport, and enterprise networking options.
What transport should I choose for a Perplexity MCP connector?
Whichever your server implements, Streamable HTTP or SSE. Choosing the wrong one causes validation to fail during setup.
Can a Perplexity connector act on new information by itself?
No. MCP has no scheduler or event mechanism, so a connector responds only when you ask. Carly supplies the part that starts on its own.
More: Can Perplexity manage email and calendar? · Claude MCP · ChatGPT MCP · MCP servers: the complete list · What is MCP?
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