To use MindMap AI in Perplexity, open Customize in the sidebar, go to the Connectors tab, click + Custom connector, choose Add MCP connector, name it MindMap AI, paste https://mindmapai.app/mcp as the MCP server URL, and click Add. Open the new MindMap AI connector, click Add connector, sign in to MindMap AI, and approve the permissions. The panel flips to Connected. From then on, Perplexity can research a topic and build the result as an editable mind map in your MindMap AI account. Nine clicks, one URL, about two minutes, and no code to write.
Perplexity is built for research. It reads the web, cites its sources, and answers in text. Text is the wrong shape for a lot of what comes back: a market overview, a syllabus, a competitor landscape, a plan with ten moving parts. The MindMap AI connector gives that research somewhere to land. Ask Perplexity for a map, and it builds a real, editable mind map in your MindMap AI account and hands you the link. This guide covers what the connector does, the plan you need, the nine steps to set it up, the prompts worth trying first, and what to do if something does not work.
What the MindMap AI connector does in Perplexity
MindMap AI plugs into Perplexity as a custom MCP connector. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard AI tools use to talk to each other. Once connected, Perplexity gets a set of mind mapping tools it can call on your behalf, using your own MindMap AI account. You can ask for a map from a topic, from research Perplexity has just done, from a document you attach, or from anything else in the thread, then keep refining it in plain language.
- Create: turn a topic, a research answer, a brief, or an attached file into a structured map.
- Expand: grow a branch, add relationship arrows to build a concept map, or group ideas with summary brackets.
- Restyle: switch between mind map, logic chart, and org chart layouts, and apply themes.
- Export: take the finished map out as a file when you are done.
- Keep: every map is saved to your MindMap AI account, where you can carry on editing it on the canvas with full styling control.
Connecting is free on the MindMap AI side. Map creation and AI edits use credits from your MindMap AI account (see plans and monthly credits); viewing and exporting your maps never uses credits, and manual editing on the canvas is always free.
One thing to know up front: MindMap AI is not listed in Perplexity's built-in connectors. Perplexity does not yet have a public directory where third-party MCP servers can be submitted, so every MCP connector is added by hand through the Custom connector option. That is why you paste a URL instead of searching for it, and why Perplexity shows a notice that it cannot verify custom connectors. The notice appears for every custom server and is expected.
Before you start
Three things, and the first one matters most:
- A paid Perplexity plan: custom MCP connectors are a paid feature in Perplexity. They are available on Pro, Max, and Enterprise, and not on the Free plan. If you do not see Connectors under Customize, this is why. On Enterprise, an admin also has to switch on "Allow members to add custom connectors" first. It is off by default.
- A MindMap AI account: you can sign up free during the connect flow with Google, Apple, or email, so there is nothing to prepare in advance.
- Pop-ups allowed: the MindMap AI sign-in opens in a new window. If your browser blocks it, clicking Add connector looks like nothing happened.
Do the setup on perplexity.ai in a desktop browser. The steps below match the web app; the desktop apps use the same Customize and Connectors screens.
How to connect MindMap AI to Perplexity
Nine steps, start to finish. You only do this once. After that the connector is available in every Perplexity thread.
The one thing you will need to copy is the MCP server URL: https://mindmapai.app/mcp
Step 1: Open Customize
In Perplexity's left sidebar, click Customize. It sits below New, Computer, and Artifacts.
Step 2: Open Custom connector
On the Connectors tab, click + Custom connector in the top right. If you cannot see this button, check that you are on a Pro, Max, or Enterprise plan.
Step 3: Choose Add MCP connector
Two options drop down: Add MCP connector and Connect your own API. You want the first one.
Step 4: Name it and paste the URL
Type MindMap AI in the Name field. Paste https://mindmapai.app/mcp in the MCP server URL field. Leave Description and Advanced alone. Tick the box that says you understand custom connectors can introduce risks, then click Add. The Add button stays greyed out until the box is ticked.
Step 5: Find MindMap AI in your connectors
Back on the Connectors tab, search for MindMap AI. It shows up with a New label. Click the result to open its panel.
Step 6: Click Add connector
One button, top right of the MindMap AI panel: Add connector. This starts the sign-in. It opens in a new window, so allow pop-ups if your browser asks.
Step 7: Allow access
Sign in to MindMap AI, or create a free account, then approve the permissions so Perplexity can create and edit mind maps, read the maps it creates or you share, export maps to files, and see your name, email, and plan. Click Allow access. Only you, signed in to your account, can approve the connection.
Step 8: You're connected
Back in Perplexity, the MindMap AI panel shows a green Connected badge and the active MindMap AI account it is linked to. Setup is done.
Step 9: Ask for a map in chat
Start a new thread, mention MindMap AI, and describe the map you want. For example: "MindMap AI, create a product launch mind map." Perplexity calls the connector, builds the map in your account, and replies with a short summary and a link that opens it on the MindMap AI canvas.
The result is a full map, saved straight to your MindMap AI account and ready to expand, restyle, and export.
Prompts to try in your next Perplexity thread
The useful pattern in Perplexity is research first, map second. Let Perplexity do what it is good at, then ask for the map. Naming the tool helps Perplexity pick MindMap AI instead of answering in text. Start with the first prompt, then keep going in the same thread. Each follow-up edits the same map rather than starting over.
- Research, then map: "Research the main approaches to carbon capture, then build a mind map of them in MindMap AI with sources on the leaf nodes."
- Landscape: "Compare the top five project management tools for small teams and map the comparison in MindMap AI."
- From a file: "Turn this attached PDF into a mind map using MindMap AI."
- Expand: "Expand the Risks branch into owners, likelihood, and mitigation."
- Connect: "Add arrows to my map to show how the ideas depend on each other."
- Recall and export: "Show me my recent MindMap AI maps, then export the carbon capture one as a file."
Perplexity replies with a short summary of the map and a link that opens it on the MindMap AI canvas. From there you can keep editing by hand, restyle it, share it, or export it.
Where this earns its keep:
Literature reviews that come back as twenty citations and no structure, competitor research you need to present rather than read, a new subject you want to see the shape of before you study it, and planning sessions where Perplexity has found the parts and you need to see how they fit. Perplexity does the research. MindMap AI gives it somewhere to land.
The same connector in other AI assistants
The server you just connected is the same one MindMap AI runs for every assistant that supports MCP. Perplexity and Gemini both need a paid plan to add it. Perplexity, Gemini, and Notion take the URL by hand; Claude and ChatGPT list it in their directories. One MindMap AI account covers all of them.
| Assistant | How MindMap AI is added | Setup guide |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | Custom MCP connector, paste https://mindmapai.app/mcp. Pro, Max, or Enterprise plan. | This guide |
| Claude | Listed in the Claude connectors directory. Pick it from the list. | MindMap AI in Claude |
| ChatGPT | Listed as a ChatGPT plugin. Pick it from the list. | MindMap AI in ChatGPT |
| Notion | Custom MCP server, paste https://mindmapai.app/mcp. | MindMap AI in Notion |
| Gemini | Custom app in Gemini Spark, paste https://mindmapai.app/mcp. Paid Google AI plan. | MindMap AI in Gemini |
If something does not work
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No Connectors tab, or no + Custom connector button | Custom connectors are only on Perplexity Pro, Max, and Enterprise. Check your plan. On Enterprise, ask your admin to switch on "Allow members to add custom connectors" in Enterprise settings. |
| The Add button is greyed out | Tick the "I understand custom connectors can introduce risks" box. Add only activates after that. |
| Perplexity says it cannot verify this connector | That notice appears for every custom MCP connector, not just MindMap AI. It is expected. Tick the box and continue. |
| The connector shows an error tag after adding | Server validation failed. Open the connector, check the URL is exactly https://mindmapai.app/mcp with no trailing slash or extra characters, and save again. |
| You clicked Add connector and nothing happened | Your browser blocked the pop-up. The MindMap AI sign-in opens in a new window. Allow pop-ups for perplexity.ai, then click Add connector again. |
| Perplexity answers in text, no map | Say the tool name. Add "using MindMap AI" to your request, or start a new thread and ask again. |
| Map creation or edits stop working | You may be out of MindMap AI credits. Viewing and exporting existing maps and manual canvas edits stay free, so your work is not locked away. |
| Perplexity edits the wrong map | Name it. Say which map or which branch you mean, or start a fresh thread for a new topic. |
Still stuck? The MCP connector help article covers connection issues in more depth. To remove the connector later, open it under Customize, then Connectors, and delete it. You can also revoke Perplexity's access from your MindMap AI account settings.
Final thoughts
Perplexity's paid plans are the one real gate here. Once you are past it, nine clicks and one URL turn every research thread into something you can see. Connect it once, then ask for a map whenever an answer comes back longer than you want to read. Your first maps are covered by the free monthly credits on the MindMap AI side.
Map your next idea. Start on the canvas or from your next Perplexity thread.
FAQ
Yes. Custom MCP connectors are a paid feature in Perplexity, available on the Pro, Max, and Enterprise plans and not on Free. This is a Perplexity rule, not a MindMap AI one. The MindMap AI side of the connection is free on every MindMap AI plan, including Free. If you use Perplexity Free, the same MindMap AI connector works in Claude, ChatGPT, Notion, and Gemini, and the setup guides for those are linked in this post. On Enterprise, an admin must also switch on custom connectors for members before the option appears.
Perplexity's built-in connectors are integrations Perplexity has built itself. There is no public directory yet where third parties can submit an MCP server, so every MCP connector, including MindMap AI, is added through the Custom connector option by pasting a URL. That is also why Perplexity shows a notice that it cannot verify custom connectors. The notice appears for every custom server and is not a warning about MindMap AI specifically. The team plans to submit MindMap AI if Perplexity opens one.
Yes, connecting is free and the connector is available on every MindMap AI plan. Map creation and AI edits use credits from your MindMap AI account, the same balance you use on the web app, and every plan includes a monthly allowance. Viewing and exporting your maps never uses credits, and manual editing on the canvas is always free, so a finished map is never locked away. The pricing page has the current plan details. The only paid requirement in this setup is on the Perplexity side.
The approval screen lists them: create and edit mind maps, read the maps it creates or you share, export maps to files, and see your name, email, and plan. Perplexity cannot see maps you have not shared with it, and only you, signed in to your account, can approve the connection. The connection uses OAuth, so no API key or password is stored in Perplexity. You can remove the connector at any time from Customize, then Connectors, or revoke Perplexity's access from your MindMap AI account settings.
Every map is saved to your MindMap AI account, not inside Perplexity. Perplexity replies with a link to the map. Open it on the canvas to keep editing with full styling control, share it, or export it in the formats your plan includes. Nothing disappears when the Perplexity thread ends, and you can ask for your recent maps in a later thread to pick one up again. Because the maps live in MindMap AI, a map you start from Perplexity can also be opened and edited from Claude, ChatGPT, Notion, or Gemini.
Yes, and that is the best reason to use this pairing. Ask Perplexity to research a topic first, then ask it to build the map from what it found. Perplexity passes the structure it has worked out to MindMap AI, which creates the nodes and branches. You can ask for the sources to be included as leaf nodes so the citations travel with the map. If you want a map from a specific document instead, attach the file to the thread and ask for a map of it.
