Agent and Exa Connect are now live in our MCP!

Find any data both on the web and from providers like Similarweb and Zoominfo directly within Claude and Codex

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Web Search MCP - Exa

Source: https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp Exa MCP connects AI assistants to Exa’s search capabilities, including web search, code search,Exa Agent, andExa Connect. It is open-source and available onGitHub.

Installation

Exa’s Search MCP can be installed in any MCP client with the server URL:https://mcp\.exa\.ai/mcp

• Codex
• Claude Code
• Claude Web, Desktop, or Cowork
• OpenCode
• Kiro
• Other

Run in terminal:

codex mcp add exa --url https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Install theExa plugin— it includes the MCP server plus Exa’s skills. Run in terminal:

claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official

Or in Claude Code, type/plugin, search forExa, and install it.To add just the MCP server:

claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Install one of the following — theExa pluginfrom Claude’s plugin marketplace (includes the connector plus Exa’s skills), or theExa connectoron its own from the connector directory:

1. Open Claude and clickCustomizefrom the sidebar
2. Go to thePluginstab
3. Click Browse, open the Partners tab, and search forExa
4. Click**+**to add it

Add to youropencode\.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Add to~/\.kiro/settings/mcp\.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Exa MCP works with most other MCP clients — point them athttps://mcp\.exa\.ai/mcp. The config key for the URL varies by client:

ClientWhere to add itURL keyWindsurf~/\.codeium/windsurf/mcp\_config\.json(undermcpServers)serverUrlGoogle AntigravityAgent panel → Manage MCP Servers → View Raw config (undermcpServers)serverUrlZedZedsettings\.json(undercontext\_servers)urlGemini CLI~/\.gemini/settings\.json(undermcpServers)httpUrlWarpSettings → MCP Servers → Add MCP Server (top-levelexa)urlv0 by VercelPrompt Tools → Add MCPpaste the URL directly Most other clients use the standardmcpServersshape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

If your client doesn’t support remote MCP servers directly, use themcp\-remotebridge:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or run the localnpm packagewith yourExa API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "exa-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

API Key

Exa MCP has a generous free plan. To overcome free plan rate limits and enable production use, add your own API key:

{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Get your Exa API key

Available Tools

Enabled by default:

ToolDescriptionweb\_search\_exaSearch the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use contentweb\_fetch\_exaRead a webpage’s full content as clean markdown from one or more URLs Additional tools(enable via thetoolsparameter):

ToolDescriptionweb\_search\_advanced\_exaAdvanced web search with full control over category filters, domain restrictions, date ranges, highlights, summaries, and subpage crawlingagent\_toolsAlias that enables theExa Agenttools for async research, list-building, and enrichment Enable specific tools:

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_fetch_exa

Enable all search tools (seeExa Agentbelow to add the Agent tools):

{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,web_search_advanced_exa",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Exa Agent

Exa Agentis now available within Exa MCP. Use it for multi-step research, list-building, enrichment, and structured output when a task needs more than a single search call.Agent runs are usage-based, so the Agent tools require authentication — connect with OAuth or pass your ownExa API key.Enable the Agent tools with theagent\_toolsalias:

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=agent_tools

Or alongside the default search tools:

{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,agent_tools",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

ToolDescriptionagent\_create\_runStart an async Agent run for multi-step research, list-building, enrichment, or structured output. Returns anagent\_run\_\.\.\.ID immediatelyagent\_wait\_for\_runPoll a run until it reaches a terminal status (completed,failed, orcancelled) or times outagent\_get\_run\_outputRetrieve completed output: text, structured JSON, grounding citations, usage, and costagent\_cancel\_runCancel a queued or running run

How it works

Agent runs are async and run-ID based. A typical loop:

1. Create the runwithagent\_create\_run. Include anoutputSchemawhenever you need repeatable, structured results. Returns anagent\_run\_\.\.\.ID.
2. Wait for completionwithagent\_wait\_for\_run, which polls until the run reaches a terminal status or times out. Call it again if the run is still going.
3. Read the outputwithagent\_get\_run\_outputonce the run iscompleted. You getoutput\.text,output\.structured(when a schema was provided),output\.groundingcitations, plus usage andcostDollars.
4. **Continue or cancel.**PasspreviousRunIdtoagent\_create\_runto refine or extend a completed run, or useagent\_cancel\_runto stop a run that is clearly wrong.

agent\_create\_runaccepts a natural-languagequeryplus optionaloutputSchema,systemPrompt,input(datato enrich,exclusionto avoid),dataSources(Exa Connectproviders, up to 5),previousRunId, andeffort(low,medium,high,xhigh, orauto).See theExa Agent guidefor schema patterns, effort modes, Exa Connect data sources, and pricing.

Resources

• GitHub- View Exa MCP source code
• npm- Install Exa MCP npm package

Usage Examples

Web Search

Search for recent developments in AI agents and summarize the key trends.

Code Search

Find Python examples for implementing OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Read a Page

Fetch the full content of https://exa.ai and summarize what the company does.

Troubleshooting

**Rate limit error (429)**You’ve hit the free plan rate limit. Add your own API key to continue:

{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Get your API keyTools not appearingRestart your MCP client after updating the config file. Some clients require a full restart to detect new MCP servers.Claude Desktop not connectingUse the built-in Connector: click**+(orAdd connectors**) →Connectorstab → search forExa→ click**+**.Config file not foundCommon config locations:

• Cursor:~/\.cursor/mcp\.json
• VS Code:\.vscode/mcp\.json(in project root)
• Claude Desktop (macOS):~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude\_desktop\_config\.json
• Claude Desktop (Windows):%APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude\_desktop\_config\.json