Exa MCP Server 🔍
Exa Code: fast, efficient web context for coding agents
Vibe coding should never have a bad vibe. exa-code is a huge step towards coding agents that never hallucinate.
When your coding agent makes a search query, exa-code searches over billions
of Github repos, docs pages, Stackoverflow posts, and more, to find the perfect, token-efficient context that the agent needs to code correctly. It's powered by the Exa search engine.
Examples of queries you can make with exa-code:
- use Exa search in python and make sure content is always livecrawled
- use correct syntax for vercel ai sdk to call gpt-5 nano asking it how are you
- how to set up a reproducible Nix Rust development environment
✨ Works with Cursor and Claude Code! Use the HTTP-based configuration format:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
"headers": {}
}
}
}
You can enable specific tool(s) using the tools parameter (if multiple, then with a comma-separated list):
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,get_code_context_exa
Or enable all tools:
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,deep_search_exa,get_code_context_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,linkedin_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check
You may include your exa api key in the url like this:
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUREXAKEY
Note: By default, only web_search_exa and get_code_context_exa are enabled. Add other tools as needed using the tools parameter.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI assistants like Claude to Exa AI's search capabilities, including web search, research tools, and our new code search feature.
Remote Exa MCP 🌐
Connect directly to Exa's hosted MCP server (instead of running it locally).
Remote Exa MCP URL
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
Claude Desktop Configuration for Remote MCP
Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
]
}
}
}
Cursor and Claude Code Configuration for Remote MCP
For Cursor and Claude Code, use this HTTP-based configuration format:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
"headers": {}
}
}
}
Codex Configuration for Remote MCP
Open your Codex configuration file:
code ~/.codex/config.toml
Add this configuration:
[mcp_servers.exa]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"]
env = { EXA_API_KEY = "your-api-key-here" }
Replace your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key from dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.
Claude Code Plugin
The easiest way to get started with Exa in Claude Code, using plugins:
# Add the Exa marketplace
/plugin marketplace add exa-labs/exa-mcp-server
# Install the plugin
/plugin install exa-mcp-server
Then set your API key:
export EXA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
Get your API key from dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.
NPM Installation
npm install -g exa-mcp-server
Using Claude Code
claude mcp add exa -e EXA_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY -- npx -y exa-mcp-server
Using Exa MCP through Smithery
To install the Exa MCP server via Smithery, head over to:
Configuration ⚙️
1. Configure Claude Desktop to recognize the Exa MCP server
You can find claude_desktop_config.json inside the settings of Claude Desktop app:
Open the Claude Desktop app and enable Developer Mode from the top-left menu bar.
Once enabled, open Settings (also from the top-left menu bar) and navigate to the Developer Option, where you'll find the Edit Config button. Clicking it will open the claude_desktop_config.json file, allowing you to make the necessary edits.
OR (if you want to open claude_desktop_config.json from terminal)
For macOS:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
For Windows:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the Exa server configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "exa-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Replace your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key from dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.
3. Available Tools & Tool Selection
The Exa MCP server includes powerful tools for developers and researchers:
🌐 Tools
- get_code_context_exa: Search and get relevant code snippets, examples, and documentation from open source libraries, GitHub repositories, and programming frameworks. Perfect for finding up-to-date code documentation, implementation examples, API usage patterns, and best practices from real codebases.
- web_search_exa: Performs real-time web searches with optimized results and content extraction.
- deep_search_exa: Deep web search with smart query expansion and high-quality summaries for each result.
- company_research: Comprehensive company research tool that crawls company websites to gather detailed information about businesses.
- crawling: Extracts content from specific URLs, useful for reading articles, PDFs, or any web page when you have the exact URL.
- linkedin_search: Search LinkedIn for companies and people using Exa AI. Simply include company names, person names, or specific LinkedIn URLs in your query.
- deep_researcher_start: Start a smart AI researcher for complex questions. The AI will search the web, read many sources, and think deeply about your question to create a detailed research report.
- deep_researcher_check: Check if your research is ready and get the results. Use this after starting a research task to see if it's done and get your comprehensive report.
Note: By default, only web_search_exa and get_code_context_exa are enabled. You can enable additional tools using the tools= parameter (see examples below).
💻 Setup for Code Search Only (Recommended for Developers)
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server",
"tools=get_code_context_exa"
],
"env": {
"EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Enable All Tools:
You can either enable all tools or any specfic tools. Use a comma-separated list to enable the tools you need:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server",
"tools=get_code_context_exa,web_search_exa,deep_search_exa,company_research_exa,crawling_exa,linkedin_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check"
],
"env": {
"EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Using via NPX
If you prefer to run the server directly, you can use npx:
# Run with default tools only (web_search_exa and get_code_context_exa)
npx exa-mcp-server
# Enable specific tools only
npx exa-mcp-server tools=web_search_exa
# All tools
npx exa-mcp-server tools=web_search_exa,deep_search_exa,get_code_context_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,linkedin_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check
Built with ❤️ by team Exa