> ## 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 Search Skill

> Find relevant web pages and return synthesized content in under two seconds with Exa Search.

Use this skill to teach your agent to call Exa Search with cURL or raw HTTP, using best practices.

<Card title="Get your Exa API key" icon="key" horizontal href="https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys">
  Create a key in the dashboard. New accounts start with free credits.
</Card>

<Note>
  Set your key as `EXA_API_KEY` in your agent environment.
</Note>

## Setup

**Option A: Install this skill directly:**

```bash theme={null}
npx skills add exa-labs/agent-skills --skill "exa-search"
```

**Option B: Copy this prompt into your coding agent.**

The following prompt installs the skill and verifies your API key without printing it:

```text Copy this setup prompt into your agent theme={null}
Set up the Exa exa-search agent skill on this machine.

Goal:
- Install the exa-search skill so my coding agent can use it to call Exa Search directly with cURL or raw HTTP.
- Get an Exa API key working WITHOUT ever exposing, printing, or pasting the key into this chat.

Selected agent:
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any Agent-Skills-compatible agent
- Global install directories: ~/.claude/skills (Claude Code), ~/.codex/skills (Codex), ~/.agents/skills (Cursor / other)
- Project-local install directories: .claude/skills (Claude Code), .agents/skills (Codex / Cursor / other)

Skill source:
- SKILL.md URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/exa-labs/agent-skills/main/skills/exa-search/SKILL.md

What to do:
1. Install the skill FIRST, before any key setup. Prefer a project-local install when working inside a repo; otherwise use the matching global directory listed above. Create the chosen skills directory and download the skill:
   mkdir -p <skills-dir>/exa-search && curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/exa-labs/agent-skills/main/skills/exa-search/SKILL.md" -o <skills-dir>/exa-search/SKILL.md
   Then verify that <skills-dir>/exa-search/SKILL.md exists.
2. Check whether an Exa API key is already available FROM YOUR OWN COMMAND-RUNNING ENVIRONMENT — use the same tool/shell you will run the skill with, not by asking me to echo it. The skill resolves the key from EXA_API_KEY first, then from the file ~/.config/exa/key, so check both without ever printing a value:
   printf '%s\n' "${EXA_API_KEY:+env-set}"; [ -s ~/.config/exa/key ] && printf 'file-set\n'
   Your shell is likely non-interactive and does NOT auto-source interactive profiles like ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, so a key I set there can look present to me but empty to you. If neither shows, the key may still live in an interactive profile your shell skips: find which file WITHOUT printing its value using `grep -l EXA_API_KEY ~/.zshrc ~/.zshenv ~/.bashrc ~/.profile ~/.config/fish/config.fish 2>/dev/null` (lists names only — NEVER run a plain `grep`/`cat`/`echo` on a profile, since an `export EXA_API_KEY=...` line would leak the secret into our chat). Then `source` that file inside your command and re-run the presence test above; if it shows, prepend that same `source ...;` to every later command that needs the key.
3. Only if no key is resolvable anywhere, set one up WITHOUT hand-editing any shell profile and WITHOUT pasting the key into this chat. Tell me to create/copy a key at https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys, then in my own terminal either export EXA_API_KEY myself or write it to ~/.config/exa/key with mode 600 — never ask me to paste the key into chat. Then wait for me to confirm it is done before continuing.
4. Smoke-test the key from your own shell — resolve it from the env var or the file, and print only the status code:
   KEY="${EXA_API_KEY:-$(cat ~/.config/exa/key 2>/dev/null)}"
   curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"query":"exa.ai","numResults":1}'
   Keep the endpoint, headers, and body exactly as written (do not guess the schema). It must return 200, not 401/429. If you needed a `source ...;` prefix in step 2 to see an env key, prepend that here too.
5. Tell me how to restart or rescan my agent so it discovers the skill.

Hard rule throughout: the key is a secret. Only ever inspect it via a presence/length check (`${EXA_API_KEY:+set}`, `[ -s ~/.config/exa/key ]`) or an HTTP status code — never print, `echo`, `cat`, or `grep`-with-output any file or variable that may contain it, and never try to "redact" a key file with a regex. If a key is ever exposed, tell me to rotate it at https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.
```

## View source

<Card title="exa-search/SKILL.md" icon="file-code" href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/exa-labs/agent-skills/main/skills/exa-search/SKILL.md" cta="View source" arrow="true">
  Read the exa-search skill definition before installing.
</Card>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="All agent skills" icon="layers" href="/docs/get-started/agent-skills/overview" cta="Browse skills" arrow="true">
    Browse every Exa skill and install them all at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Skills repository" icon="git-branch" href="https://github.com/exa-labs/agent-skills" cta="View source" arrow="true">
    Source for every skill, including raw `SKILL.md` files.
  </Card>
</Columns>