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Exa MCP connects AI assistants to Exa’s search capabilities, including web search and code search. It is open-source and available on GitHub.

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Installation

Exa’s Search MCP can be installed in any MCP client with the server URL: https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

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Cursor

Install with one click Or add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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VS Code

Install with one click Or add to .vscode/mcp.json: 
{
  "servers": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Claude Code

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

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Claude Desktop

Exa is available as a native Claude Connector — no config files or terminal commands needed.
  1. Open Claude Desktop and click + (or Add connectors)
  2. Go to the Connectors tab
  3. Search for Exa
  4. Click + to add it
That’s it! Claude will now have access to Exa’s search tools.

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Codex

Run in terminal: 
codex mcp add exa --url https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

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OpenCode

Add to your opencode.json: 
{
  "mcp": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

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Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Zed

Add to your Zed settings: 
{
  "context_servers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Gemini CLI

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "httpUrl": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Google Antigravity

Go to the three-dot menu in the Agent panel, navigate to Manage MCP Servers, then View Raw config and add: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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v0 by Vercel

In v0, select Prompt Tools > Add MCP and enter: 
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

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Warp

Go to Settings > MCP Servers > Add MCP Server and add: 
{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
  }
}

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Kiro

Add to ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Roo Code

Add to your Roo Code MCP config: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Via npm Package

Standard mcpServers format with the npm package. Get your Exa API key. 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "exa-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Other

For other MCP clients that support remote MCP: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
If your client doesn’t support remote MCP servers directly: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

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Available Tools

Enabled by default:
ToolDescription
web_search_exaSearch the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content
web_fetch_exaRead a webpage’s full content as clean markdown from one or more URLs
Optional (enable via tools parameter):
ToolDescription
web_search_advanced_exaAdvanced web search with full control over category filters, domain restrictions, date ranges, highlights, summaries, and subpage crawling
Deprecated (still available for backwards compatibility):
ToolUse instead
get_code_context_exaweb_search_exa
company_research_exaweb_search_advanced_exa
crawling_exaweb_fetch_exa
people_search_exaweb_search_advanced_exa
linkedin_search_exaweb_search_advanced_exa
deep_researcher_startResearch API
deep_researcher_checkResearch API
deep_search_exaweb_search_advanced_exa
Enable specific tools: 
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_fetch_exa
Enable all tools: 
{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,web_search_advanced_exa",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

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API Key

Exa MCP has a generous free plan. To overcome free plan rate limits and enable production use, add your own API key: 
{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}
Get your Exa API key

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Resources

  • GitHub - View Exa MCP source code
  • npm - Install Exa MCP npm package
Web Search
Search for recent developments in AI agents and summarize the key trends.
Code Search
Find Python examples for implementing OAuth 2.0 authentication.
Read a Page
Fetch the full content of https://exa.ai and summarize what the company does.
Rate limit error (429)You’ve hit the free plan rate limit. Add your own API key to continue:
{
  "exa": {
    "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}
Get your API keyTools not appearingRestart your MCP client after updating the config file. Some clients require a full restart to detect new MCP servers.Claude Desktop not connectingUse the built-in Connector: click + (or Add connectors) → Connectors tab → search for Exa → click +.Config file not foundCommon 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