OpenAI-Compatible Endpoints Reference
Compatibility layer for OpenAI SDK clients.Canonical Docs Links
- Base docs URL:
https://exa.ai/docs - OpenAI SDK compatibility:
/reference/openai-sdk - OpenAI Responses API with Exa:
/reference/openai-responses-api-with-exa
Overview
Exa exposes OpenAI-compatible endpoints so existing OpenAI SDK clients can route requests to Exa with minimal call-site changes. This is useful when:- you already depend on the OpenAI SDK
- you want a compatibility-first migration path
- you need drop-in chat or responses interfaces
Not the Same as Tool Calling
These compatibility endpoints replace your LLM provider with Exa: you point the OpenAI SDK athttps://api.exa.ai and Exa runs the answer itself.
If you instead want to keep your current agent and have it call Exa as one of its tools, see the tool calling pattern in prompting-and-patterns.md.
Endpoint Mapping
Exa’s compatibility layer parses the conversation and forwards the last message into its underlying Exa route.
Basic Setup
Python:/chat/completions for Answer-Like Flows
Use model exa when you want compatibility access to Exa’s grounded answer behavior.
extra_body to pass Exa-specific fields such as text.
/responses for the Agent API
The /responses endpoint routes to the Agent API in the OpenAI Responses API shape. See the Agent API reference for supported models.
Model Routing Guidance
exa: chat-completions compatibility for answer-like flows
Critical Pitfalls
- OpenAI-compatible endpoints are secondary to native Exa endpoints for new integrations.
- Remember to use
extra_bodyfor Exa-specific fields on OpenAI SDK clients. - The compatibility layer forwards the last message; do not assume it preserves every native Exa feature in the same shape as the direct endpoints.