Proposal: add a Perplexity Search MCP tool as an alternative search source

[jliounis]

Hi Bright Data team — thanks for maintaining this MCP server! I'd like to propose adding a perplexity_search MCP tool that wraps Perplexity's Search API (POST https://api.perplexity.ai/search) as an alternative/complementary search source alongside search_engine.

Why

The current search_engine tool routes through Bright Data's SERP infrastructure, which is great for grounded SERP scraping. Perplexity's Search API is a different shape — it's a curated, ranked web index optimized for LLM grounding, with first-class filters for domain allow/deny, recency, and date ranges. Exposing it as an additional MCP tool would let agents pick the right tool for the job (e.g., raw SERP vs. LLM-curated index) without leaving the Bright Data MCP.

The existing web_data_perplexity_ai_insights tool scrapes the Perplexity web app via Bright Data — that's a different surface from the Perplexity Search API, which returns structured {title, url, snippet, date} results directly.

Proposed shape

• Tool name: perplexity_search
• Auth: reads PERPLEXITY_API_KEY (also accepts PPLX_API_KEY) — independent from API_TOKEN. The tool no-ops / is hidden when neither env var is set, so existing users see no change.
• Inputs: query (required), optional max_results, search_domain_filter (allow OR deny via -domain.com, never mixed), search_recency_filter (hour|day|week|month|year), search_after_date_filter / search_before_date_filter (m/d/yyyy).
• Output: array of {title, url, snippet, date}.
• Group: could live in a new web_search group, or under RESEARCH / ADVANCED_SCRAPING. Open to whatever fits your taxonomy.
• Tests: mocked HTTP via axios (matches the existing pattern in server.js).
• Docs: README section + tool reference entry.

Implementation notes

• ~80 lines in server.js (one addTool call) + a small helper for the HTTP request.
• No new runtime deps — uses the existing axios and zod.
• API key signup is free at https://www.perplexity.ai/account/api/keys.
• Search API reference: https://docs.perplexity.ai/api-reference/search-post

Question for maintainers

Would you accept a PR adding this tool? I'm happy to put one up on a branch (feat/perplexity-search) following your existing conventions in server.js / tool_groups.js / test/ and matching the style of the search_engine tool. If the answer is "this doesn't fit our scope — Bright Data MCP is for Bright Data services only," totally understood and I'll close this out.

Thanks!
— James (james.liounis@perplexity.ai / @james-pplx)