1. Get an API key
1
Visit the Exa Dashboard
Get your Exa API key
Create a key in the dashboard. New accounts start with free credits.
2
Set the key as an environment variable
- macOS/Linux
- Windows
2. Choose how you’ll use Exa
Exa fits into your application two ways: call the APIs from your own code, or connect an agent you already use.Call the APIs
Use Search, Contents, and Exa Agent from your own code. Install an SDK
below and make your first request.
Connect your agent
Connect ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, or Cursor to Exa’s search and research
tools. No API key is required.
3. Install an SDK
4. Make your first request
Next steps
Search API
Find relevant pages and return clean content or structured outputs.
Agent API
Build long-running research, list-building, and enrichment workflows.
Contents API
Extract clean content from pages you already know.
Exa MCP
Connect any MCP client to Exa’s web search, page fetching, and Exa Agent
tools.