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,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:

smithery.ai/server/exa

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.
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,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,get_code_context_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,linkedin_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check

Built with ❤️ by team Exa

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