ITSpecialist111/CopilotPerplexityMCP
If you are the rightful owner of CopilotPerplexityMCP and would like to certify it and/or have it hosted online, please leave a comment on the right or send an email to henry@mcphub.com.
The Copilot + Perplexity MCP Server is a lightweight Model Context Protocol server designed to integrate with Microsoft Copilot Studio and Power Automate, providing real-time, citation-backed answers using Perplexity AI.
Copilot + Perplexity MCP Server ✨
A lightweight Model Context Protocol (MCP) server—built with TypeScript + Express, deployable to an Azure Linux Web App—that streams its tool catalog via a single Server-Sent Events endpoint and exposes echo, greet, and perplexity.search functions so Microsoft Copilot Studio agents (through a minimal Swagger-based custom connector) and Power Automate flows can invoke them for real-time, citation-backed answers from Perplexity AI.
Compatibility Summary
| Layer | Compatible Targets |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Node.js 20 LTS (tested); works with any Node 18+ environment |
| Hosting | Azure App Service for Linux (Basic B1 or higher) — container runtime uses the built-in NODE |
| CI/CD | GitHub Actions (Ubuntu runners) via azure/webapps-deploy@v3 |
| MCP client | Microsoft Copilot Studio agents (Generative actions / "AI Plugin" preview) Power Automate / Logic Apps (custom connector actions) |
| LLM back-end | Perplexity AI REST API — any current public model (default sonar, but overridable) |
| Local dev / testing | macOS, Windows, WSL2, or Linux with Node 20 + npm 10; cURL or Postman for raw SSE tests |
No other cloud services or proprietary dependencies are required—the repo is cloud-agnostic beyond Azure Web App and uses only standard HTTP + SSE.
End-to-End Setup — High-Level Checklist
1. Clone and Validate the Repo
git clone https://github.com/ITSpecialist111/CopilotPerplexityMCP.git
cd CopilotPerplexityMCP
Push a throw-away commit or open a PR → GitHub Actions runs the "Azure Web App CI" workflow. Green check = code builds & lints.
2. Add Required GitHub Secrets
| Secret | Value (where to get it) |
|---|---|
| AZURE_PUBLISH_PROFILE | Download the Publish profile XML from the target Azure Web App → paste entire XML text. |
| AZURE_WEBAPP_NAME | The exact Web App name (e.g. perplexmcpcopilot). |
Repo → Settings → Secrets → Actions → New repository secret.
3. Prepare the Azure Web App
Create resources:
az group create -n rg-mcp-demo -l uksouth
az appservice plan create -g rg-mcp-demo -n asp-mcp-demo --sku B1 --is-linux
az webapp create -g rg-mcp-demo -p asp-mcp-demo -n perplexmcpcopilot --runtime "NODE|20-lts"
App Settings (Portal → Configuration → Application settings):
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY– your Perplexity keyPERPLEXITY_MODEL– optional default model
Enable Application logging so you can tail the Log Stream.
Once the Web App exists, the publish-profile secret lets GitHub Actions deploy on every push.
4. Push → Deploy → Smoke Test
git commit --allow-empty -m "trigger deploy"
git push origin main
Actions builds, publishes to Azure.
Verify:
curl -N https://<webapp>.azurewebsites.net/sse # should emit "event: tools"
5. Set Up the Custom Connector
Power Platform → Solutions → + New → Custom connector → Import an OpenAPI file.
- Upload
swagger/mcp_connector.yaml(in this repo). - Security → No authentication.
- AI Plugin (preview)
- Fill Name, Description, Contact email, Legal URL.
- Toggle Enabled for generative actions → On.
- Create connection when prompted (no creds).
- Test tab → call MCP SSE Stream → should return the tool list.
6. Enable the Plugin in Copilot Studio
- Open your Copilot agent in the Studio designer.
- ✨ Overview → toggle Generative actions → On.
- Click + Actions, pick Perplexity MCP Connector under custom connections/MCP, toggle Use by this agent → On.
- Publish the agent.
Chat prompt example: "Using your Perplexity search tool, what's the capital of France?"
Azure Log Stream should show:
GET /sse
POST /invoke/perplexity.search
—indicating the agent discovered the tools and invoked the one it needed.