Perplexity Integration Setup Guide

The Perplexity MCP integration enables Benny Chat to perform AI-powered web searches using Perplexity's advanced search models. This integration provides up-to-date information and helps conduct thorough research on any topic.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Completed the Smithery Setup Guide
• A Perplexity account
• Access to Perplexity API (requires API subscription)

Step 1: Get Your Perplexity API Key

1. Go to Perplexity API Keys
2. Sign in to your Perplexity account
3. If you don't have API access:
   • Subscribe to Perplexity API access
   • Choose a plan that fits your needs
4. Click "Generate" or "Create New API Key"
5. Copy the API key - keep it secure and never share it publicly

Step 2: Configure in Smithery

1. Log into Smithery
2. Go to your profile
3. Find the Perplexity Search MCP
4. Click "Add to Profile"
5. In the configuration section:
   • Set PERPLEXITY_API_KEY to your API key from Step 1
6. Save the configuration

Step 3: Enable in Benny Chat

1. Open Benny Chat and go to Settings
2. Scroll to "MCP Tool Settings"
3. Find "Perplexity" in the list of integrations
4. Toggle the switch to enable Perplexity
5. Click "Test Connection"
6. You should see a success message with available tools

Available Features

The Perplexity integration provides a powerful search tool with:

• Real-time Web Search: Get current information using Perplexity's sonar models
• Time-based Filtering: Filter results by recency (hour, day, week, month)
• Source Citations: Every search includes citations for verification
• AI-Summarized Results: Get concise, relevant answers to your queries

Search Parameters

When searching, you can specify:

• Query: Your search question (required)
• Recency Filter: Limit results to a specific time period
  • hour: Results from the last hour
  • day: Results from the last 24 hours
  • week: Results from the last week
  • month: Results from the last month

Usage Examples

Here are example prompts that leverage Perplexity:

Current Events

• "Search for today's tech news"
• "What happened in the stock market this week?"
• "Find the latest COVID-19 statistics"

Research Queries

• "Search for recent advances in renewable energy"
• "What are the current mortgage rates?"
• "Find reviews of the latest iPhone"

Time-Sensitive Searches

• "Search for earthquake news from the last hour"
• "What companies announced earnings today?"
• "Find sports scores from this week"

Daily Assistant Integration

When Perplexity is enabled, Benny Chat's Daily Assistant uses it to:

• Gather current news and events relevant to your interests
• Research topics mentioned in your recent notes or tasks
• Find updates on projects or areas you're tracking
• Provide timely information for your daily briefing

The Daily Assistant runs these searches automatically as part of your daily summary, ensuring you stay informed without manual searching.

Best Practices

1. Be Specific: More specific queries yield better results
2. Use Recency Filters: For current events, always specify a time frame
3. Ask Follow-ups: Build on previous searches for deeper understanding
4. Verify Sources: Check the citations provided with each result
5. Combine with Notes: Save important findings to your Obsidian vault

Integration Tips

Perplexity works great with other Benny Chat features:

• With Obsidian GitHub: Save research findings directly to your notes
• With Todoist: Create action items based on search results
• With Daily Assistant: Get automated research on your areas of interest

Rate Limits and Usage

• API usage counts against your Perplexity subscription limits
• Each search query consumes one API call
• Monitor your usage in your Perplexity dashboard
• Consider your plan limits when using Daily Assistant automation

Troubleshooting

Connection Test Failed

1. Verify API Key: Ensure the complete key is saved in Smithery
2. Check Subscription: Confirm your Perplexity API access is active
3. API Limits: You may have exceeded your rate limits
4. Regenerate Key: Try creating a new API key if issues persist

No Search Results

1. Try a simpler query first
2. Remove recency filters to broaden results
3. Check if the Perplexity service is operational
4. Verify your query doesn't contain special characters

Slow Responses

1. Complex queries take longer to process
2. Perplexity may be experiencing high load
3. Try without recency filters for faster results
4. Break complex queries into smaller parts

Privacy and Data

• Searches are processed through Perplexity's API
• Your queries are subject to Perplexity's privacy policy
• Search results are retained only within conversation context
• Daily Assistant searches are logged for your reference

Cost Considerations

• Each search uses one API credit
• Daily Assistant may perform multiple searches
• Monitor usage to stay within your plan
• Upgrade your Perplexity plan if you need more searches

Advanced Search Tips

1. News Monitoring: Use day filter for daily news updates
2. Research Projects: Use month filter for comprehensive research
3. Real-time Events: Use hour filter for breaking news
4. Fact Checking: Search for multiple sources on the same topic
5. Trend Analysis: Compare searches across different time periods

Need Help?

1. Review the Perplexity Search MCP documentation
2. Check your Perplexity API dashboard
3. Visit the MCP page on Smithery
4. Ask Benny Chat for help with search strategies