# Table of Contents

- [Exa MCP - The Web Search MCP - Exa](#exa-mcp-the-web-search-mcp-exa)

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# Exa MCP - The Web Search MCP - Exa

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MCP

Exa MCP - The Web Search MCP

[Documentation](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/search-quickstart)
[API Reference](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/search)
[Changelog](https://exa.ai/docs/changelog/exa-deep-revamp)

On this page

*   [Installation](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#installation)
    
*   [Available Tools](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#available-tools)
    
*   [API Key](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#api-key)
    
*   [Resources](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#resources)
    

Exa MCP connects AI assistants to Exa’s search capabilities, including web search and code search. It is open-source and available on [GitHub](https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server)
.  

[​](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#installation)

Installation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

*   Cursor
    
*   VS Code
    
*   Claude Code
    
*   Claude Desktop
    
*   Codex
    
*   OpenCode
    
*   Windsurf
    
*   Zed
    
*   Gemini CLI
    
*   Google Antigravity
    
*   v0 by Vercel
    
*   Warp
    
*   Kiro
    
*   Roo Code
    
*   Via npm Package
    
*   Other
    

[![Install with one click](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_with_one_click-Cursor-000000?style=flat-square&logoColor=white)](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=exa&config=eyJuYW1lIjoiZXhhIiwidHlwZSI6Imh0dHAiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL21jcC5leGEuYWkvbWNwIn0=)
Or add to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

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

[![Install with one click](https://img.shields.io/badge/Install_with_one_click-VS_Code-0098FF?style=flat-square&logo=visualstudiocode&logoColor=white)](https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=exa&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fmcp.exa.ai%2Fmcp%22%7D)
Or add to `.vscode/mcp.json`:

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    {
      "servers": {
        "exa": {
          "type": "http",
          "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
        }
      }
    }
    

Run in terminal:

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

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:**macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`**Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`

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

Run in terminal:

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

Add to your `opencode.json`:

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

Add to `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`:

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

Add to your Zed settings:

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

Add to `~/.gemini/settings.json`:

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

Go to the three-dot menu in the Agent panel, navigate to **Manage MCP Servers**, then **View Raw config** and add:

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

In v0, select **Prompt Tools** > **Add MCP** and enter:

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    https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
    

Go to **Settings** > **MCP Servers** > **Add MCP Server** and add:

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

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

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

Add to your Roo Code MCP config:

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    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "exa": {
          "type": "streamable-http",
          "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
        }
      }
    }
    

Standard `mcpServers` format with the npm package. [Get your Exa API key](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys)
.

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

For other MCP clients that support remote MCP:

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

If your client doesn’t support remote MCP servers directly:

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

[​](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#available-tools)

Available Tools
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Enabled by default:**

| Tool | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `web_search_exa` | Search the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content |
| `get_code_context_exa` | Find code examples, documentation, and programming solutions from GitHub, Stack Overflow, and docs |
| `company_research_exa` | Research any company to get business information, news, and insights |

**Optional** (enable via `tools` parameter):

| Tool | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `web_search_advanced_exa` | Advanced web search with full control over filters, domains, dates, and content options |
| `crawling_exa` | Get the full content of a specific webpage from a known URL |
| `people_search_exa` | Find people and their professional profiles |
| `deep_researcher_start` | Start an AI research agent that searches, reads, and writes a detailed report |
| `deep_researcher_check` | Check status and get results from a deep research task |
| `deep_search_exa` | Deep search with query expansion and synthesized answers. Requires your own API key — it will not appear in the tools list without one. |

Enable specific tools:

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    https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=get_code_context_exa,people_search_exa
    

Enable all tools:

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    https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUR_KEY&tools=web_search_exa,web_search_advanced_exa,get_code_context_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,people_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check,deep_search_exa
    

  

[​](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#api-key)

API Key
-------------------------------------------------------------

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

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    https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUR_EXA_KEY
    

[Get your Exa API key](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys)
  

[​](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp#resources)

Resources
-----------------------------------------------------------------

[GitHub\
------\
\
View Exa MCP source code](https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server)
[npm\
---\
\
Install Exa MCP npm package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/exa-mcp-server)

Usage Examples

**Web Search**

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

**Code Search**

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    Find Python examples for implementing OAuth 2.0 authentication.
    

**Company Research**

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    Research Stripe and give me an overview of their products and recent news.
    

**Deep Research**

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    Create a detailed report on the current state of quantum computing startups.
    

**Deep Search**

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    Deep search for the latest developments in nuclear fusion energy startups.

Troubleshooting

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

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    https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUR_EXA_KEY
    

[Get your API key](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys)
**Tools not appearing**Restart your MCP client after updating the config file. Some clients require a full restart to detect new MCP servers.**Claude Desktop not connecting**Claude Desktop doesn’t support remote MCP directly. Use the `mcp-remote` wrapper:

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

**Config file not found**Common 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`

[Downloading and Sharing Your Results](https://exa.ai/docs/websets/dashboard/walkthroughs/Sharing-and-Downloading-Your-Results)
[Websets MCP](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/websets-mcp)

⌘I

Assistant

Responses are generated using AI and may contain mistakes.

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