Perplexity only takes this MCP if the product build exposes custom remote MCP. Citations are not a live Google Trends board.
Google Trends reaches Perplexity through Trends MCP only when that Perplexity product build exposes custom remote MCP. llms.txt on this site is explicit: Trends MCP for Perplexity is setup notes, not a guarantee that every plan has the field. If Settings, MCP, Add custom server exists, paste https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp and a Bearer key from the account page. Then get_top_trends type Google Trends and get_growth source google search are the proving calls. Default limit 25.
If the field is missing, this page is done. Do not invent a Cursor transport blob inside Perplexity. ChatGPT combo: Google Trends MCP for ChatGPT. API contract: Google Trends API. Ranked Perplexity shortlist: best MCP servers for Perplexity.
Windsor’s MCP docs (accessed 26 August 2026) note that Perplexity may allow external connectors only on paid plans. Recheck Perplexity’s current connector eligibility. This page does not freeze a Pro versus Free matrix that will move.
Perplexity’s default job is cited web answers. That is a strength. It is also why “Google Trends MCP for Perplexity” still retrieves a search recap when the MCP server is attached but unnamed. Say “using TrendsMCP.” A citation to trends.google.com is not as_of_ts. A citation to a 2024 blog is not get_growth.
get_top_trends(type="Google Trends", limit=25)
get_growth(keyword="perplexity ai", source="google search", percent_growth=["30D", "12M"])
Type Google Trends takes no keyword. Source google search takes a phrase. Not google trends. Category boards are extra. REST get_time_series for weekly history.
Do not paste a same-day top-10 into a Perplexity Space as a catalog. The board turns over.
www OAuth URL: Claude.ai only. Cursor url plus transport: Cursor only. Windsurf serverUrl: Windsurf only. VS Code type http: Copilot Chat. Perplexity wants a custom server URL plus header when the product has that chrome. Recheck labels on the setup page. OpenAI and Perplexity both change connector UI.
401 after a “successful” save is almost always the www host or a missing Bearer prefix.
A Space with uploaded PDFs is a snapshot. It is not this connector. SuperMetrics and Catchr remain marketing hubs. Official Google Trends API Alpha remains Google Cloud.
Free 100 requests per month. Starter $19 / 1,000. Pro $49 / 5,000. Business $199 / 25,000. Pricing. One board plus one growth call is two requests. Perplexity may retry a failed tool. A wrong source string can bill twice. Pin google search in Space instructions if the workspace uses a Space.
Empty: not_found or data_unavailable. Low-volume percents: quote both index values.
Perplexity is a weak cron. Nightly boards belong on REST. Connecting is free. Calling is not.
If the next question needs a live URL’s HTML, that is still Perplexity search or a crawl MCP. Trends MCP will not fetch the page. Pair the jobs. Do not ask the trend index to invent a citation list.
A proving thread that stays in the free plan: one Google Trends page, one get_growth on a single phrase, stop. Adding TikTok is a second source and a second request. That cross-check is why this MCP exists next to Perplexity’s own search.
A Perplexity Space can store the type string Google Trends, source google search, and a cap of two requests. It should not store this morning’s ranks. Uploaded PDFs in a Space are a brief. They are not as_of_ts. Mixing a 2024 PDF table with a live board in one answer is how stale ranks become citations.
Perplexity’s product default is to search. Even with MCP attached, a question that never names Trends MCP becomes a recap of trends.google.com. That recap may even cite this site. It still is not a tool result. Teach the first message: using TrendsMCP, call the board, then stop.
Retries bill. A 401 from the www host that Perplexity retries three times is three failed requests if the client counts them, or three wasted round trips if it does not. Fix the host before looping. Recheck connector eligibility on Perplexity’s current help pages. Windsor’s MCP docs (26 August 2026) already warned that some Perplexity plans block external connectors. That is a Perplexity SKU, not a Trends MCP outage.
If MCP is missing, REST from a laptop script still works. POST https://api.trendsmcp.ai/api with mode get_top_trends and paste the JSON back into the thread as a quote. That is ugly and honest. Inventing Cursor JSON inside Perplexity is worse.
Cross-platform after Google works: get_growth source google search, tiktok on one keyword. Two requests. Do not ask Perplexity to “confirm on Creative Center” with a screenshot when the MCP result already has as_of_ts.
Empty series on a later growth call is not a failed connect. Fail closed. Do not let a citation to a random blog fill the hole. Recheck Settings after a plan change. Connector chrome moves. The api host does not. A Space instruction that names Trends MCP still needs the server attached. Search citations remain a different job. Pair them. Do not ask the index to invent a URL list.
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