> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://exa.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Exa Agent
> Run deep research, list-building, and enrichment workflows that return structured outputs.
Exa Agent is an async, usage-based endpoint for high-compute tasks like list building, enrichment, and deep research. It handles complex reasoning and can return many structured output fields.
Think of it as a context agent: you describe the data you want and the shape it should come back in, and Exa Agent orchestrates the tool calls needed to get there. A single run can fan out many searches across different angles, read and condense the pages behind them, split list building into subtasks that run in parallel, verify each candidate against your criteria, enrich contacts, and query any [Exa Connect](/docs/agent/connect/overview) data partners you attach. You get the assembled context back as one grounded, structured result instead of orchestrating each `/search` and `/contents` call yourself.
Each run can return a natural-language answer, schema-validated JSON, field-level grounding, metadata, and a cost breakdown. You can retrieve completed runs later, list past runs, replay events, or continue from a previous run.
Prefer MCP? Exa Agent and [Exa Connect](/docs/agent/connect/overview) are available in [Exa MCP](/docs/get-started/exa-mcp#exa-agent). Enable `tools=agent_run` to run multi-step research, list-building, enrichment, and structured output from Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
## When to use Exa Agent
Use Exa Agent when a workflow needs more than a single search or extraction call, or when you would otherwise write your own loop of searches, page reads, and verification steps to assemble the data:
* Build lists from open-ended criteria, then enrich each result
* Research entities across many fields with citations
* Run multi-hop tasks like "find companies, then find their decision makers"
* Produce structured JSON from a long-running web research task
* Combine web research with premium data partners in one grounded answer
* Continue from a previous run with a follow-up request like "find 10 more results"
Exa Agent is higher-latency and async by design. For a single low-latency search where you orchestrate the calls yourself, start with the [Search API](/docs/search/quickstart).
## Quickstart
This example starts a run that builds a structured list of people matching your criteria. It returns JSON in `output.structured`.
### 1. Install the Exa SDK
```bash Python theme={null}
pip install exa-py
```
```bash JavaScript theme={null}
npm install exa-js
```
### 2. Set your API key
```bash theme={null}
export EXA_API_KEY="your-api-key"
```
```powershell theme={null}
setx EXA_API_KEY "your-api-key"
```
### 3. Create a run
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Find engineering leaders at AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
output_schema={
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"people": {
"type": "array",
"maxItems": 10,
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {"type": "string"},
"job_title": {"type": "string"},
"linkedin_url": {"type": "string", "format": "uri"},
},
"required": ["name", "job_title", "linkedin_url"],
},
}
},
"required": ["people"],
},
effort="auto",
)
print(json.dumps(run.model_dump(), indent=2))
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query:
"Find engineering leaders at AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
outputSchema: {
type: "object",
properties: {
people: {
type: "array",
maxItems: 10,
items: {
type: "object",
properties: {
name: { type: "string" },
job_title: { type: "string" },
linkedin_url: { type: "string", format: "uri" }
},
required: ["name", "job_title", "linkedin_url"]
}
}
},
required: ["people"]
},
effort: "auto"
});
console.log(JSON.stringify(run, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Find engineering leaders at AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
"effort": "auto",
"outputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"people": {
"type": "array",
"maxItems": 10,
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": { "type": "string" },
"job_title": { "type": "string" },
"linkedin_url": { "type": "string", "format": "uri" }
},
"required": ["name", "job_title", "linkedin_url"]
}
}
},
"required": ["people"]
}
}'
```
Add `Accept: text/event-stream` when creating a run to receive server-sent events as the run is queued, started, and completed. See [Stream events](#stream-events) for more details.
### 4. Poll for completion
If you do not stream events, save the returned `id` and poll the run until it reaches a terminal status.
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run_id = "agent_run_01j..."
run = exa.agent.runs.poll_until_finished(
run_id,
poll_interval=4000,
)
print(json.dumps(run.model_dump(), indent=2))
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const runId = "agent_run_01j...";
const run = await exa.agent.runs.pollUntilFinished(runId, {
pollInterval: 4000
});
console.log(JSON.stringify(run, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
RUN_ID="agent_run_01j..."
while true; do
RUN_JSON="$(curl -s "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs/$RUN_ID" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY")"
STATUS="$(echo "$RUN_JSON" | python3 -c 'import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)["status"])')"
echo "status=$STATUS"
if [ "$STATUS" = "completed" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "failed" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "cancelled" ]; then
echo "$RUN_JSON"
break
fi
sleep 4
done
```
Completed runs include:
* `output.text`: a natural-language answer
* `output.structured`: validated JSON when you provide `outputSchema`
* `output.grounding`: citations for text or structured fields, when emitted
* `costDollars`: the run's cost breakdown
Exa Agent is also available through the OpenAI-compatible Responses API. Point
the OpenAI SDK at `https://api.exa.ai`, use `model: "exa-agent"`, and choose
synchronous, streaming, or background execution. See [OpenAI SDK
compatibility](/docs/integrations/openai-sdk#agent-via-responses-api).
## Verify and enrich a specific entity
Beyond list building, use Exa Agent to inspect a single known entity, verify a claim against authoritative sources, and return structured enrichment. This example checks whether a company's official website has a publicly accessible pricing page, and enriches the result with pricing details when they are available. The schema requires only `domain` and `verdict`; everything else is optional enrichment.
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Inspect the official website redbarnrobotics.com and determine whether it has a publicly accessible pricing or plans page. A dedicated pricing page counts as present even if it only says 'Contact sales'.",
system_prompt="Judge only the company specified in the query. Use present only when a public pricing or plans page is found. Use absent only after successfully inspecting the website and finding no such page. If the website is unreachable, blocked, fails to render, or cannot be inspected reliably, use cannot_verify. Never use absent when inspection failed. Use only the company's official website as evidence.",
effort="low",
output_schema={
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": False,
"required": ["domain", "verdict"],
"properties": {
"domain": {"type": "string", "const": "redbarnrobotics.com"},
"verdict": {
"type": "string",
"enum": ["present", "absent", "cannot_verify"],
},
"pricing_page_url": {"type": ["string", "null"], "format": "uri"},
"displays_numeric_prices": {"type": ["boolean", "null"]},
"pricing_model": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"enum": [
"free",
"subscription",
"usage_based",
"one_time",
"custom_quote",
"mixed",
"other",
None,
],
},
"starting_price": {"type": ["number", "null"], "minimum": 0},
"currency": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"description": "ISO 4217 code such as USD or EUR.",
},
"billing_period": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"enum": [
"monthly",
"annual",
"one_time",
"usage_based",
"variable",
"other",
None,
],
},
"has_free_plan": {"type": ["boolean", "null"]},
"has_free_trial": {"type": ["boolean", "null"]},
"reasoning": {"type": ["string", "null"], "maxLength": 300},
},
},
)
run = exa.agent.runs.poll_until_finished(run.id)
print(json.dumps(run.output.structured if run.output else None, indent=2))
```
```typescript TypeScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query:
"Inspect the official website redbarnrobotics.com and determine whether it has a publicly accessible pricing or plans page. A dedicated pricing page counts as present even if it only says 'Contact sales'.",
systemPrompt:
"Judge only the company specified in the query. Use present only when a public pricing or plans page is found. Use absent only after successfully inspecting the website and finding no such page. If the website is unreachable, blocked, fails to render, or cannot be inspected reliably, use cannot_verify. Never use absent when inspection failed. Use only the company's official website as evidence.",
effort: "low",
outputSchema: {
type: "object",
additionalProperties: false,
required: ["domain", "verdict"],
properties: {
domain: { type: "string", const: "redbarnrobotics.com" },
verdict: {
type: "string",
enum: ["present", "absent", "cannot_verify"]
},
pricing_page_url: { type: ["string", "null"], format: "uri" },
displays_numeric_prices: { type: ["boolean", "null"] },
pricing_model: {
type: ["string", "null"],
enum: [
"free",
"subscription",
"usage_based",
"one_time",
"custom_quote",
"mixed",
"other",
null
]
},
starting_price: { type: ["number", "null"], minimum: 0 },
currency: {
type: ["string", "null"],
description: "ISO 4217 code such as USD or EUR."
},
billing_period: {
type: ["string", "null"],
enum: [
"monthly",
"annual",
"one_time",
"usage_based",
"variable",
"other",
null
]
},
has_free_plan: { type: ["boolean", "null"] },
has_free_trial: { type: ["boolean", "null"] },
reasoning: { type: ["string", "null"], maxLength: 300 }
}
}
});
const completedRun = await exa.agent.runs.pollUntilFinished(run.id);
console.log(JSON.stringify(completedRun.output?.structured, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Inspect the official website redbarnrobotics.com and determine whether it has a publicly accessible pricing or plans page. A dedicated pricing page counts as present even if it only says '"'"'Contact sales'"'"'.",
"systemPrompt": "Judge only the company specified in the query. Use present only when a public pricing or plans page is found. Use absent only after successfully inspecting the website and finding no such page. If the website is unreachable, blocked, fails to render, or cannot be inspected reliably, use cannot_verify. Never use absent when inspection failed. Use only the company'"'"'s official website as evidence.",
"effort": "low",
"outputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": ["domain", "verdict"],
"properties": {
"domain": { "type": "string", "const": "redbarnrobotics.com" },
"verdict": {
"type": "string",
"enum": ["present", "absent", "cannot_verify"]
},
"pricing_page_url": { "type": ["string", "null"], "format": "uri" },
"displays_numeric_prices": { "type": ["boolean", "null"] },
"pricing_model": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"enum": ["free", "subscription", "usage_based", "one_time", "custom_quote", "mixed", "other", null]
},
"starting_price": { "type": ["number", "null"], "minimum": 0 },
"currency": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"description": "ISO 4217 code such as USD or EUR."
},
"billing_period": {
"type": ["string", "null"],
"enum": ["monthly", "annual", "one_time", "usage_based", "variable", "other", null]
},
"has_free_plan": { "type": ["boolean", "null"] },
"has_free_trial": { "type": ["boolean", "null"] },
"reasoning": { "type": ["string", "null"], "maxLength": 300 }
}
}
}'
```
Schemas for verification workflows should account for uncertainty. Make
fields that may not be verifiable nullable and leave them out of `required`,
so the agent can return `null` instead of fabricating a value. The `verdict`
enum distinguishes a failed inspection (`cannot_verify`) from actual negative
evidence (`absent`): a site that could not be reached is not evidence that
the page does not exist.
## Stream events
Streaming keeps the create request open and sends Server-Sent Events (SSE) until the run completes. See [Event format](#event-format) for the event types and payloads.
Set `stream=True` in Python, `stream: true` in JavaScript, or send `Accept: text/event-stream` over HTTP:
```python Python theme={null}
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
events = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Find five recently launched developer tools for evaluating AI agents.",
stream=True,
)
for event in events:
print(event.event, event.data)
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const events = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query: "Find five recently launched developer tools for evaluating AI agents.",
stream: true
});
for await (const event of events) {
console.log(event.event, event.data);
}
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -N -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: text/event-stream" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Find five recently launched developer tools for evaluating AI agents."
}'
```
### Event format
Each SSE frame contains an event ID, event name, and JSON payload:
```text theme={null}
id: 1
event: agent_run.created
data: {"id":"agent_run_01j...","status":"queued","createdAt":"2026-05-07T21:21:52.051Z"}
```
The stream may also contain comment lines such as `: keep-alive`. SSE clients ignore comments automatically; custom parsers should do the same.
### Event types
| Event | `data` payload | How to use it |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `agent_run.created` | `{ id, status: "queued", createdAt }` | Save the run ID as soon as the request is accepted. |
| `agent_run.started` | `{ id, status: "running" }` | Mark the run as actively processing. |
| `agent_run.completed` | The completed Agent run object | Read the final answer from `data.output.text` or `data.output.structured`, and citations from `data.output.grounding`. |
| `agent_run.failed` | `{ id, status: "failed", error }` | Surface `error.code` and `error.message`; no completed output is available. |
| `agent_run.cancelled` | `{ id, status: "cancelled", ... }` | Stop consuming the stream and handle the run as cancelled. |
Events associated with the same research step include a `callId`. It corresponds to `item.call_id` in tool progress events. Use it to group search traces, sources, and tool progress. Some search-trace descriptions are generated asynchronously and can arrive after the source or tool event they describe, so do not correlate them by arrival order alone.
Treat `agent_run.source.added` as a live preview rather than a complete citation list. The terminal run's `output.grounding` is the authoritative grounding output.
### Replay stored events
For non-ZDR runs, [`GET /agent/runs/{id}/events`](/docs/reference/agent-api/list-run-events) returns stored events as paginated JSON. Send `Accept: text/event-stream` to replay the stored events as SSE, and `Last-Event-ID` to skip events your client has already processed:
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -N "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs/agent_run_01j.../events" \
-H "Accept: text/event-stream" \
-H "Last-Event-ID: 12" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY"
```
The replay endpoint sends the events stored at request time and then closes; it does not continue following a running run. ZDR runs do not retain events and cannot be replayed.
For forward compatibility, ignore event names your application does not recognize and continue until a terminal event arrives.
## Return structured JSON
Use `outputSchema` to return schema-validated JSON in `output.structured`.
`outputSchema` supports the [JSON Schema specification](https://json-schema.org/).
To request contact information, describe the desired contact fields in `outputSchema`. Use standard JSON Schema shapes such as `{ "type": "string", "format": "email" }` for email addresses, `{ "type": "string", "format": "phone" }` for phone numbers, and `{ "type": "string", "format": "uri" }` for URLs. Bound list sizes with `maxItems` when possible so the maximum contact-enrichment cost is predictable.
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Find AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
effort="auto",
output_schema={
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"companies": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {"type": "string"},
"round": {"type": "string"},
"website": {"type": "string"},
},
"required": ["name", "round"],
},
}
},
"required": ["companies"],
},
)
run = exa.agent.runs.poll_until_finished(
run.id,
)
print(json.dumps(run.output.structured if run.output else None, indent=2))
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query:
"Find AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
effort: "auto",
outputSchema: {
type: "object",
properties: {
companies: {
type: "array",
items: {
type: "object",
properties: {
name: { type: "string" },
round: { type: "string" },
website: { type: "string" }
},
required: ["name", "round"]
}
}
},
required: ["companies"]
}
});
const completedRun = await exa.agent.runs.pollUntilFinished(run.id);
console.log(JSON.stringify(completedRun.output?.structured, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Find AI infrastructure companies that raised a Series A or B in the last 6 months.",
"effort": "auto",
"outputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"companies": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": { "type": "string" },
"round": { "type": "string" },
"website": { "type": "string" }
},
"required": ["name", "round"]
}
}
},
"required": ["companies"]
}
}'
```
## Process input rows
Use `input.data` when you have an existing set of data that you want to enrich. You can add more fields to each data entity, surface more entities based on the data you bring in, or both.
For complete row-enrichment examples, see [Agent examples](/docs/agent/examples#enrich-input-rows).
## Process exclusions
Use `input.exclusion` to exclude certain entries from being surfaced in the run. In the example below, we want to look for the top 10 cutest animals, but we exclude goats and pandas from the run because we already know how cute they are.
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Find the top 10 cutest animals. Return each animal's common name and a source URL.",
input={
"exclusion": [
{"animal": "goat"},
{"animal": "panda"},
]
},
)
print(json.dumps(run.model_dump(), indent=2))
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query: "Find the top 10 cutest animals. Return each animal's common name and a source URL.",
input: {
exclusion: [
{ animal: "goat" },
{ animal: "panda" }
]
}
});
console.log(JSON.stringify(run, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Find the top 10 cutest animals. Return each animal'"'"'s common name and a source URL.",
"input": {
"exclusion": [
{ "animal": "goat" },
{ "animal": "panda" }
]
}
}'
```
## Connect data sources
The index is already available on every run. Use `dataSources` only to attach [Exa Connect](/docs/agent/connect/overview) partners. Each entry selects a `provider`. When a property in your `outputSchema` references a specific source (e.g., "from Similarweb"), Exa Agent calls the matching provider tool instead of guessing from a web page.
```json theme={null}
{
"dataSources": [
{ "provider": "similarweb" },
{ "provider": "fiber" }
]
}
```
See [Exa Connect](/docs/agent/connect/overview) for the full list of data partners, with examples for each.
## Continue from a previous run
Use `previousRunId` to ask follow-ups to a previous response. Each follow-up starts a new run with its own ID. `previousRunId` carries context into the new run; it is not reused as the new run's ID.
```python Python theme={null}
import json
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.agent.runs.create(
query="Narrow that list to companies hiring in San Francisco.",
previous_run_id="agent_run_01j...",
)
print(json.dumps(run.model_dump(), indent=2))
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.agent.runs.create({
query: "Narrow that list to companies hiring in San Francisco.",
previousRunId: "agent_run_01j..."
});
console.log(JSON.stringify(run, null, 2));
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"query": "Narrow that list to companies hiring in San Francisco.",
"previousRunId": "agent_run_01j..."
}'
```
## Find a run ID
List recent runs and inspect their statuses:
```python Python theme={null}
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
runs = exa.agent.runs.list(
limit=10,
)
for run in runs.data:
query = (run.request or {}).get("query", "")
print(f"{run.id}\t{run.status}\t{run.created_at}\t{query}")
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const list = await exa.agent.runs.list({
limit: 10
});
for (const run of list.data) {
const query = run.request?.query ?? "";
console.log(`${run.id}\t${run.status}\t${run.createdAt}\t${query}`);
}
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs?limit=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY"
```
## Pricing
Costs are usage-based and priced by component:
| Component | Price |
| ------------------- | ----------------- |
| Agent Compute Units | `1 ACU = $0.10` |
| Search tool calls | `$0.005 / search` |
Contact enrichment is separate from the core pricing components above: email contact enrichment is `$0.02 / email`, and phone number contact enrichment is `$0.07 / phone number`.
`usage.agentComputeUnits` measures model computation across the full run. Complex queries, especially ones with a large `input.data` field, need more reasoning steps and tool calls and consume more ACUs.
See [Agent limits](/docs/admin/billing#agent-limits) for concurrency and rate limits.
### Effort
Use `effort` to choose a cost and reasoning level for each run. The supported values are `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `auto`, and `max`; the default is `auto`. Fixed efforts have a predictable per-request price, while `auto` and beta `max` are metered by usage:
| Effort | Price |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `minimal` | `$0.012 / request` |
| `low` | `$0.025 / request` |
| `medium` | `$0.10 / request` |
| `high` | `$0.50 / request` |
| `xhigh` | `$1.00 / request` |
| `auto` | Metered; up to the default `$5` cap |
| `max` | **Beta**, metered; up to the default `$20` cap |
Agent Max is the highest-effort tier for work where completeness and thoroughness
matter more than latency or cost, including large list building, deep multi-source
research, and criteria that are hard to verify. It is in public beta: requests
with `effort: "max"` must include `Exa-Beta: agent-max-effort-2026-07-27`. The
header accepts a comma-separated list of beta tokens.
`budget.maxCostDollars` is an optional per-run ceiling for `auto` and `max`. It accepts `$1`–`$100`; the shipped maximum is `$100`, though the server may configure a lower maximum. The default cap is `$5` for `auto` and `$20` for `max`. This is a ceiling rather than a fixed price: runs that finish early cost less. Budget is not accepted for fixed efforts.
### Choosing an effort mode
Fixed effort modes work well when you want predictable per-request pricing for standard research. Use `auto` for variable-scope work like list building, where the number of entities can vary from request to request.
| Effort | Best for | Suggested schema complexity | Runtime expectation |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| `minimal` | Lowest-cost lookups, very narrow factual tasks, short answers | One or two fields, shallow schema | Cheapest, least exhaustive |
| `low` | Simple lookups, narrow factual tasks, short answers | A few fields, shallow schema | Fast, light research |
| `medium` | Default starting point for most standard research tasks | Moderate field count, simple nested objects | Balanced quality/runtime |
| `high` | Harder research, more citations, stricter completeness | Larger schemas or more nuanced fields | Slower, more thorough |
| `xhigh` | High-value tasks where completeness matters more than cost/latency | Complex schemas, many fields, difficult verification | Slowest fixed effort |
| `auto` | Variable-scope work, list building, unknown task difficulty | Flexible; useful when entity count or work required is unknown | Variable |
| `max` | Highest-effort research (beta) | Complex schemas, many fields, difficult verification | Longest-running |
Start with `medium` for standard single-entity research. Drop to `low` or `minimal` when cost and latency matter more than completeness. Move up to `high` or `xhigh` when the output schema is larger, fields need verification, or the task needs deeper reasoning. Use `auto` when you don't know the scope ahead of time, such as list building or workflows that may return many entities.
Runtime varies by query difficulty, schema complexity, and external source availability. Treat effort modes as quality/cost/runtime tradeoffs rather than strict latency guarantees.
### Run with max effort
```python Python theme={null}
from exa_py import Exa
exa = Exa()
run = exa.beta.agent.runs.create(
query="Find all companies building browser automation tools in the United States.",
effort="max",
budget={"maxCostDollars": 10},
betas=["agent-max-effort-2026-07-27"],
)
print(run)
```
```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
import Exa from "exa-js";
const exa = new Exa();
const run = await exa.beta.agent.runs.create({
query: "Find all companies building browser automation tools in the United States.",
effort: "max",
budget: { maxCostDollars: 10 },
betas: ["agent-max-effort-2026-07-27"]
});
console.log(run);
```
```bash cURL theme={null}
curl -s -X POST "https://api.exa.ai/agent/runs" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY" \
-H "Exa-Beta: agent-max-effort-2026-07-27" \
-d '{
"query": "Find all companies building browser automation tools in the United States.",
"effort": "max",
"budget": { "maxCostDollars": 10 }
}'
```
The SDK samples require an `exa-py` or `exa-js` version with Agent Max support.
## Zero Data Retention
Exa Agent supports [Zero Data Retention](/docs/admin/security/zero-data-retention) (ZDR). ZDR is enabled per team. [Contact us](mailto:sales@exa.ai) to enable it for your account.
When ZDR is enabled for your team:
* Create runs with streaming (`Accept: text/event-stream`) to consume output live, or poll asynchronous runs within the retention window.
* Run data is available while the run executes and for up to 10 minutes after it reaches a terminal state. After that window, the run cannot be retrieved.
* `previousRunId` is not available.
* Exa Connect `dataSources` are not available; requests that include them return a `400` error.
## Next steps
Explore news, code, company, and people sources across the public web.
Attach premium partner databases to a run.
Best practices for using Exa Agent.
Examples of using Exa Agent.