The short answer
To get text to speech in Perplexity, add Clonylab’s address, https://clonylab.com/mcp, as a custom remote connector in your Perplexity settings, choose OAuth, leave the client fields empty and press Allow on the Clonylab page. Then turn the connector on in a thread. It needs Pro or Team on Clonylab and a Perplexity plan that allows custom connectors.
Key takeaways
- Add https://clonylab.com/mcp as a custom remote connector in Perplexity, choose OAuth and press Allow on the Clonylab page.
- Leave the client ID and client secret empty. Clonylab registers the app.
- Turn the connector on in each thread from the connectors and sources menu.
- The voice-over is made in your open Clonylab tab on a computer, so keep it open with the browser switch on.
- We have not tested this in a Perplexity account, and we say so. The steps follow other companies’ setup guides.
01What you get with Perplexity text to speech
Perplexity is known for answers with sources. It can also use connectors, which are links from Perplexity to other tools. A custom remote connector lets you add any MCP server by its web address. Add Clonylab that way and Perplexity can turn text into speech: ask for a voice-over of a summary it just wrote, and you get an MP3 link in the thread.
Here is a small scene. You ask Perplexity for a 60-second briefing on a news topic, with sources. Then you add one sentence: “read that briefing as a voice-over in a calm UK voice.” You get the audio without opening another app.
Clonylab gives Perplexity 14 tools for voices, speech jobs, History, Studio settings and usage. Our guide to the text to speech MCP server explains each tool. This page is the Perplexity version.
02Before you start
| Need | Details |
|---|---|
| A Perplexity plan that allows custom connectors | Guides from other companies say Pro, Max and Enterprise. Plan rules have changed more than once, so check your account |
| A Clonylab plan | The AI connection is part of Pro and Team |
| Perplexity on the web or desktop | The custom connector screen may not be offered in the mobile apps |
| An open Clonylab tab | Voices are made in your browser tab, on a computer, so keep it open |
On a company Perplexity account, an admin may need to switch on a setting that lets members add custom connectors. If you do not see the option, ask your admin first.
Perplexity’s own help article would not load for our tools when we wrote this guide, so these steps follow setup guides from other companies, listed below. We have not tested the connector in a Perplexity account ourselves. Clonylab’s sign-in is built for apps that register themselves automatically, which is how these guides describe Perplexity’s custom connectors. Menu names change. If something does not match, tell us on the contact page.
03Add Clonylab to Perplexity in 4 steps
Copy your MCP address
Open Connector in your Clonylab account and copy the address, https://clonylab.com/mcp.
Add a custom remote connector
In Perplexity open your account settings and go to Connectors. Press Custom connector and choose Remote. Enter a name such as Clonylab and paste the address as the server URL.
Choose OAuth and leave the client fields empty
Under Advanced, choose OAuth for authentication. Leave the client ID and client secret empty, as the Connector screen asks. Tick the acknowledgement box, press Add, then click the Clonylab card. A Clonylab page opens: sign in if asked and press Allow.
Allow your browser tab
Back in Clonylab, switch on Allow AI tools to use this browser. Keep Clonylab open in a tab on your computer.
04Turn the connector on in a thread
Adding a connector does not switch it on for every thread. Open a new thread, press the plus icon and look for the connectors and sources menu. Tick Clonylab there. Now Perplexity knows it may use the tools in that thread.
05Your first voice-over from Perplexity
Check that Clonylab is connected and list five US female voices.Uses connection_status and list_voices.
Write a 60-second briefing on today’s top technology story, with sources, then make a voice-over of the briefing in a calm UK male voice.Perplexity writes the text, then uses generate_speech and get_audio.
Read only the first three paragraphs, a little slower, with a one-second pause between them.Sets the speed and adds [pause 1s] tags.
How many characters have I used this month?Uses usage_summary.
Perplexity is at its best when it has just researched something, so the strongest use is voicing a finished answer. Three examples:
| Use | Example request | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| A news briefing | Give me a 60-second briefing on this topic, then voice it in a calm UK voice. | Keep it short, so the clip stays easy to follow |
| A comparison summary | Compare these two tools in five sentences and read the result aloud. | Ask for plain sentences instead of a table, because a table does not read well |
| A study aid | Explain this idea in simple words and voice it slowly. | Ask for the slow setting, or add [slow] to key sentences |
One habit matters more than the rest. Perplexity answers usually carry small citation marks in square brackets, such as a number. Clonylab uses square brackets for script tags like [pause 1s] and [VoiceName]. Ask Perplexity to remove citation marks and any other square brackets from the text it sends for the voice-over. The sources stay in the written answer, and the audio stays clean.
Also keep each request under 10,000 characters. A long report is better voiced in parts, with a short pause between them.
The MP3 link works for 30 minutes. Open it to listen or save the file. Short clips under 1 MB may also come back as audio in the reply.
06If something goes wrong
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No custom connector option | Your plan or app does not offer it, or an admin has not switched it on | Check your plan, use the web version and ask your admin |
| The connector does not register | Perplexity could not register itself with the server | Remove the connector, add it again and leave the client fields empty. If it still fails, contact us |
| Sign-in does not stay | The sign-in was not saved | Remove the connector and add it again |
| Perplexity says the tool is not available | The connector is off in this thread | Tick Clonylab in the connectors and sources menu |
| Perplexity says no browser tab is connected | Clonylab is closed or the switch is off | Open Clonylab on your computer and switch on “Allow AI tools to use this browser” |
Sign-in problems usually clear up when you remove the connector and add it again. You can also remove Perplexity from the list on Clonylab’s Connector screen, which cuts its access at once.
07Requirements and limits
| Topic | What to know |
|---|---|
| Clonylab plan | Pro or Team. The free trial does not include the AI connection |
| Language | English only, with US and UK voices |
| One request | Up to 10,000 characters per generate_speech call |
| Browser | The Clonylab tab must stay open, on a computer |
| Cloned voices | Perplexity can use your clones, not create them. See voice clone MCP |
| Download links | An MP3 link works for 30 minutes |
| Studio by hand | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | One clip you tune by ear | A voice-over of something Perplexity just researched |
| Writes the text for you | No | Yes |
| Cites sources in the text | No | Yes |
| Needs the tab open | You are in it | Yes |
Perplexity runs in the cloud, so it reaches your Clonylab tab through Clonylab’s server and nothing is installed on your computer. If you use Perplexity on a phone and Clonylab on a laptop, the laptop tab still has to be open, because it makes the audio. We have not tested that mix, and the mobile apps may not offer the custom connector screen.
Like to work in an editor instead? See our guides for Cursor and Claude Desktop. The AI voiceover generator page lists every script tag.
08Questions and answers
Can Perplexity do text to speech?
Yes, through a connector. Add a text to speech MCP server such as Clonylab as a custom remote connector, and Perplexity can ask it to turn text into speech and give you an MP3 link.
How do I connect Perplexity to Clonylab?
In Perplexity open Connectors, add a custom remote connector, paste https://clonylab.com/mcp, choose OAuth, leave the client fields empty and press Allow on the Clonylab page. Then switch on Allow AI tools to use this browser in Clonylab.
Which Perplexity plans can add a custom connector?
Setup guides from other companies say Pro, Max and Enterprise, and say an admin must allow it on company accounts. Perplexity has changed plan rules before, so check your own account.
Why do I need to keep Clonylab open?
The voice-over is made in your open Clonylab browser tab on your own device. Keep the tab open on a computer and the browser switch on.
Did you test this in Perplexity?
No. We have not tested it in a Perplexity account. The steps follow other companies’ setup guides and Clonylab’s own Connector screen, and we say so on this page.
Is it free?
The free trial lets you try the Studio and cloning. The AI connection that Perplexity uses is part of the Pro and Team plans.
Ready to let your AI make the voice-overs?
Start free with the Studio and cloning, then add Pro when you want the AI connection. English only, no card to start.
Keep reading
Sources and further reading
- Perplexity MCP connector setup (Conductor docs) · A step-by-step example of adding a custom remote connector in Perplexity.
- Perplexity MCP: add a custom remote connector (Carly) · A second guide to the same flow, with notes on plans and admin settings.
- Model Context Protocol: introduction · The official explanation of MCP and what it is for.
- Model Context Protocol specification · The rules that AI apps and servers follow, including authorization.
Last updated . The screenshots come from the Clonylab Connector screen, with the address and the token replaced by the real address and a placeholder. App and tool settings change often: if a step does not match your version, trust the Connector screen in your account.