Exa Websets

You can use the Exa Websets MCP Server to manage content collections and perform real-time web searches from AI assistants. It combines three focused tools with guided, interactive prompts to streamline complex websets workflows, while providing reliable operation and scalable results.

How to use

Use an MCP client to connect to either the remote Exa Websets MCP endpoint or a local/stdio instance. You can perform three core actions through the server:

• Manage content collections (create, search, enhance)
• Run real-time web searches powered by Exa AI
• Get guided workflows and enrichment prompts to complete advanced tasks Begin by configuring your MCP client to point at the remote endpoint, then optionally run a local stdio instance for development or offline work. When connected, you’ll be able to create and search websets, enrich data with AI, and follow step-by-step prompts to complete complex operations.

How to install

Prerequisites you need on your machine:
- Node.js (recommended LTS)
- npm or npx available in your shell
- Optional: access to a terminal or command prompt with your preferred editor and package manager
Follow these concrete steps to get started.

Install and run remotely or locally

# 1) Install the MCP server package globally for local use
npm install -g exa-websets-mcp-server

# 2) (Optional) Run the server locally to test without the remote endpoint
# npx exa-websets-mcp-server

# 3) Connect to the remote MCP endpoint from your MCP client configuration
# Use the remote URL provided by Exa
https://mcp.exa.ai/websets?exaApiKey=your-exa-api-key

// 4) Example Claude Desktop configuration for remote MCP (explicit config snippet)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-websets": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.exa.ai/websets?exaApiKey=your-exa-api-key"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Configuration and usage notes

Configure your client to use either the remote URL or a local stdio instance. The remote endpoint is the simplest path and requires an API key, while the local option is ideal for testing or environments without external network access.

Troubleshooting and tips

Common issues you may encounter include API key validation errors, connection problems after starting or stopping clients, and token overflow when handling large results. Use the guided prompts to verify your setup, re-check the API key, and ensure you are connecting to the correct MCP URL. If you see persistent errors, restart your MCP client and verify the environment variables are set correctly.

Prompts and workflows overview

The server includes interactive prompts to help you perform complex operations. You can start with quick_start to create your first webset, then move through webset_status_check, webset_analysis_guide, enrichment_workflow, and other workflows to build, enrich, and analyze websets step by step.

Available tools

websets_manager

Unified interface to create, search, and enhance content collections across all websets in a central manager.

web_search_exa

Real-time web search capability powered by Exa AI to fetch fresh results for your queries.

websets_guide

Guidance and examples for using websets effectively, including common workflows and topics.

knowledge_graph

Maintain connections between webset results in an onboard graph to support advanced reasoning.