MCP fixes
Perplexity: no option to add a custom MCP connector
Why Perplexity shows no custom connector or MCP option in settings, and the plan, platform, workspace, and manual-registration checks that make it appear.
Quick answer
Perplexity adds MCP servers through custom connectors, a paid-tier feature managed on the web and desktop apps. If the option is missing, the usual causes are a free plan, looking on mobile where the section lags behind, or an Enterprise workspace whose admin disabled custom connectors. If the option is there but adding a server fails with api_clients_error, the server does not support automatic registration and needs a client_id and client_secret entered manually.
The symptom
You want to point Perplexity at an MCP server, but Settings shows no Connectors section, or the section lists only prebuilt integrations with no way to add a custom connector. A close cousin: the form exists, but saving the server fails before the sign-in step ever starts. Both have the same short list of causes, checked in order below.
Check 1: your plan includes custom connectors
Custom MCP connectors are a paid-tier feature. As of mid-2026 they ship on Pro and above, with Enterprise access governed by workspace admins; free accounts do not get the option at all, so on a free plan the section is absent by design rather than hidden. Perplexity has revised the plan matrix more than once, so confirm against the current help center before assuming a bug (matrix last checked August 2026).
Check 2: the right place on the right platform
Connectors are managed under Settings, in a section Perplexity has labeled Connectors or Apps and Connectors depending on the build, on the web app and desktop apps first. The mobile apps trail behind and may only show prebuilt connectors, with no custom option. If you are searching the iOS or Android app and finding nothing, open perplexity.ai in a browser, add the connector there, and it becomes available to your account everywhere the feature exists.
Check 3: no workspace admin has disabled it
On Enterprise workspaces, administrators decide whether members can add custom connectors. If a personal Pro account shows the option and your work account does not, the restriction is your workspace policy, not your settings. Ask the admin to enable custom connectors, or test on a personal account to isolate the cause.
Check 4: the server supports automatic registration
When you add a custom connector, Perplexity registers itself with the MCP server through OAuth dynamic client registration. Servers that do not support it make Perplexity fail with an error like [api_clients_error] server does not support automatic registration. please provide client_id and client_secret manually. That message means what it says: create an OAuth client on the server side, then paste the client_id and client_secret into the connector form. Hosted servers built for assistant clients, such as Hjarni, support dynamic registration so this step never appears.
Check 5: the connector is enabled where you ask
Adding a connector does not automatically apply it to every conversation. Enable it in the thread or Space you are working in, then verify with a question only that source can answer, for example asking about a note you know exists. If the connector is on and the tools still never fire, remove and re-add it to force a fresh OAuth handshake, and check the server is reachable over plain https with no VPN in the way.
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