Exa

You can use the Exa MCP server to empower AI assistants with real-time web search capabilities through Exa's search API. It provides structured results, handles rate limits gracefully, and lets you control the data sources an AI model can query in a safe, guided way.

How to use

You enable the Exa MCP server in your MCP client configuration so your AI assistant can perform web searches and receive structured results (titles, URLs, and content snippets). When you ask your assistant to search the web, it sends a request to the local MCP server, which queries Exa’s API and returns the results in a clean format that your agent can present or summarize.

How to install

Prerequisites: install Node.js v18 or higher, have Claude Desktop installed, obtain an Exa API key, and install Git.

Step 1: Clone the MCP server repository and navigate into it.

git clone https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server.git
cd exa-mcp-server

Step 2: Install dependencies for the server.

npm install --save axios dotenv

Step 3: Build the project.

npm run build

Step 4: Create a global link so you can run the server from anywhere.

npm link

Configuration and running the server

You configure the MCP client to connect to the Exa MCP server using a local stdio command. The configuration includes the command, arguments, and your API key.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["/path/to/exa-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security and operational notes

Keep your API key secure and do not expose it in client-side configurations. Use environment variables and restricted access to the local MCP server. Monitor requests and respect rate limits to ensure reliable responses.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, verify the MCP configuration syntax in Claude Desktop, ensure Node.js is properly installed, and confirm your API key is valid and correctly placed in the configuration. Restart Claude Desktop after changes.

Common steps to check: validate the npm link setup, review Claude Desktop logs for errors, and ensure the server process is reachable by the client.

Examples of what you can do with the Exa MCP server

• Ask the assistant to search for recent developments in quantum computing
• Request a summary of latest news about AI startups in New York
• Query for recent research papers about climate change solutions

Available tools

web_search

Performs natural language web searches using Exa's search API and returns structured results including titles, URLs, and content snippets.

error_handling

Gracefully handles API errors and rate limits to provide stable responses to the MCP client.

type_safety

Full TypeScript implementation with proper type checking to ensure reliable integration with MCP clients.