Perplexity's Mac app can now perform system tasks using MCP: What it means

Perplexity's Mac app now supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling it to access system tools like Apple Notes, Calendar, and Google Drive via connectors, and execute tasks on your behalf

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The Perplexity app for macOS has added support for Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing users to connect the app to various system-level services such as Apple Notes, Reminders, and Calendar. According to Perplexity, the update enables the AI assistant to perform basic tasks beyond search queries, such as creating reminders or retrieving data from Google Drive.

How MCP works in Perplexity for Mac

Perplexity’s integration of MCP means the app can now connect to local tools via community-developed “connectors.” These connectors act as instructions that tell the AI how to interact with specific applications, such as searching Apple Notes or editing calendar entries.

 

Because apps on the Mac App Store are sandboxed and cannot access other parts of the system directly, users are required to install a separate helper tool — PerplexityXPC — to enable these functions.

 

Once installed, users can configure new connectors via the app’s settings, using commands sourced from the connector’s documentation, such as those hosted on GitHub. A successful setup allows the AI to execute local tasks using natural language queries. 

How to set up and configure local MCP on MacOS

Perplexity in its blog laid out the steps to activate local MCPs for the Perplexity Mac app. Here are the steps that users need to follow:

• Open your account settings and click on Connectors
• Before you can add MCP Connectors, you have to install the helper application PerplexityXPC so that Perplexity can securely connect to your local MCP servers
• Once the Helper is installed, go back to the Connectors settings and click Add Connector
• On the “Add Connector” page, add an MCP Connector to the “Simple” tab
  • Add any name for “Server Name”, for example, MCP for AppleScript
  • Add the command that is used to run the MCP server
    • This can usually be found in the README of the MCP server
    • Make sure you have any requirements for the MCP server installed, for example brew install node if you need npx. Ask Perplexity if you need any help installing requirements on your computer
    • Enter the command after installing the requirements. For example, for https://github.com/joshrutkowski/applescript-mcp the command is npx -y @peakmojo/applescript-mcp
• Click "Save" and wait for the MCP server to show "Running" status in the Connectors list. Make sure the MCP server is running
• Go to the Perplexity homepage and toggle your MCP on underneath “Sources”
• Test your MCP server: Ask a new command in Perplexity that references the MCP server, like “check my Mac calendar”. This should run one of the MCP server’s tools and prompt you for confirmation.

What is MCP

Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is a new standard proposed by AI company Anthropic. It is designed to serve as a communication bridge between AI systems and traditional software environments, similar to how HTTP functions for websites or SMTP for email. According to an article by 9To5Mac, MCP has seen early adoption across the industry, including by companies such as Zapier, Google, and Salesforce.

 

The protocol allows AI assistants to interface directly with APIs, local applications, and services in a structured and secure manner.