searchLABSCO SUMMARY
The deprecation check is the one you would not have asked for.
Search and docs lookup you would do anyway; check_deprecated_code runs on code you already have and tells you what has moved on since it was written — the class of problem nobody goes looking for. Costs land on your Perplexity key rather than here, and the built-in backoff is what keeps a long session from hitting the rate limit.
What it is
A research assistant backed by Perplexity's Sonar models. Four tools cover the questions that interrupt coding: general search, documentation lookup for a library, finding candidate APIs for a job, and checking whether the code in front of you uses something deprecated. Conversation history is kept in SQLite so follow-up questions stay coherent.
What you get
searchanswers a general question, with brief, normal and detailed levels of depthget_documentationreturns usage and examples for a named library or API, including common pitfallsfind_apisproposes APIs for a task and compares them on features, pricing and integration effortcheck_deprecated_codereads code for outdated patterns and gives migration guidanceget_request_statusreports on an in-flight request- Adaptive rate limiting with exponential backoff, plus connection pooling and automatic retries, so a burst of questions does not trip the API
Requirements
Node.js and a Perplexity API key from https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api. Published as research-mcp version 1.0.0; the documented path is clone, install dependencies, npm run build, then point your client's command at node and its args at build/index.js. PERPLEXITY_API_KEY is required; PERPLEXITY_MODEL selects the model and the sample config uses sonar-reasoning. Because every tool is a read, all five can safely be listed under autoApprove.
Setup effort
Build from source — git clone https://github.com/clssck/researcher-mcp.git
USE CASES
01
Getting current docs for a library mid-task
Ask for usage and pitfalls for the specific library without switching to a browser.
02
Choosing between third-party APIs
Ask for candidates for the job and compare features, pricing and integration effort in one answer.
03
Modernising code you inherited
Point it at the old patterns and get the current replacement plus the migration path.
04
Asking a broad question and then narrowing it
Start at brief depth, then ask for detail — earlier turns stay in context.
5 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
get_documentationfind_apischeck_deprecated_codeget_request_statusBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
5 tools named in the project's documentation. get_request_status has no documentation beyond the example autoApprove list.
Requires
- node on PATH
- PERPLEXITY_API_KEY in your environment
Where it runs
Both documented clients run the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
You clone and build this one yourself.
Server setup
TERMINAL
git clone https://github.com/clssck/researcher-mcp.git
cd researcher-mcp
npm install
npm run buildGet a Perplexity API key from https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api.
Add the configuration from a client tab; <YOUR_PATH_TO_RESEARCHER_MCP_BUILD_INDEX> is the full path to build/index.js in this folder.
MCP Clients
Claude Desktop, Cline
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"perplexity-server": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"<YOUR_PATH_TO_RESEARCHER_MCP_BUILD_INDEX>"
],
"env": {
"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "<YOUR_PERPLEXITY_API_KEY>",
"PERPLEXITY_MODEL": "sonar-reasoning"
},
"disabled": false,
"alwaysAllow": [],
"autoApprove": [
"search",
"get_documentation",
"find_apis",
"check_deprecated_code",
"get_request_status"
]
}
}
}
