Log inSubmit server
Exa MCP Server logo

Exa MCP Server

by exa-labs

Searches the web, fetches page content, and supports optional multi-step Exa research through MCP.

InstallRepositoryWebsite
Full README Compare alternatives Embed widget Claim this listing

Install Exa MCP Server

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-labs-exa-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Automated check passed— started and listed 2 tools correctly (10d ago).

Overview

The exa-labs/exa-mcp-server MCP server connects MCP clients to Exa for web search, webpage retrieval, and optional agent-based research. It uses Exa's hosted endpoint at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp, with anonymous access subject to rate limits and OAuth or API-key authentication for higher limits and Exa Agent access. Use it when an agent needs current web information, cleaned webpage content, filtered search, or structured multi-step research. Default tools provide search and fetching; advanced search and agent execution are enabled through the URL's tools parameter.

Use cases

  • Research current web topics
  • Fetch webpage content as markdown
  • Filter searches by domains and dates
  • Run multi-step enrichment and list-building research

Key features

  • Web search with cleaned content
  • Webpage retrieval as markdown
  • Advanced filters, highlights, summaries, and crawling
  • Exa Agent runs for structured research
  • Remote streamable HTTP MCP endpoint

Tools2

What Exa MCP Server lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~437 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

28/28 checks healthy over the last 77d

What it can do

From the 2 tools this server returned when we ran it; 2 declare their own safety hints.

Makes network requests · 2Read-only tools · 2
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsprepare
npm provenanceSigned build
Package age668 days
Maintainers3

Observed 2026-10-17 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 11d ago via OSV.dev · exa-mcp-server (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars5.2kStargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads114kPackage downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit7d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed2Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity17 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Exa MCP Server works

What exa-labs/exa-mcp-server MCP server does

The exa-labs/exa-mcp-server MCP server exposes Exa web capabilities through the Model Context Protocol. It gives compatible AI clients tools for searching the web and retrieving webpage content as clean markdown. Optional tools extend this with advanced search controls and Exa Agent runs for multi-step research.

The hosted service is intended for agents that need current information from the web rather than only local files or a fixed knowledge base. Typical tasks include researching a topic, collecting pages for analysis, building lists, enriching information, and requesting structured research output.

How it works

Clients connect to Exa's streamable HTTP MCP endpoint:

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

The default tool set contains web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa. The search tool finds web content for a topic, while the fetch tool reads one or more supplied URLs and returns their content in markdown form.

Optional tools are selected with the tools URL parameter. Supplying this parameter replaces the defaults, so the URL must list every tool the client should receive. For example, a client can request advanced search together with the default tools by adding ?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,web_search_advanced_exa.

Setup and configuration

The exa-labs/exa-mcp-server MCP server can be configured as a remote streamable HTTP server in clients that support MCP. Most clients use an mcpServers entry with the endpoint above. The repository also documents integrations for Cursor, Claude, Codex/ChatGPT, Windsurf, and other clients.

The hosted endpoint permits anonymous use with rate limits. OAuth is the preferred authenticated option, and many clients can start the sign-in flow automatically. To explicitly request login, use the endpoint with ?login or /oauth as documented by the project.

An Exa API key can alternatively be supplied as the exaApiKey URL parameter, an Authorization: Bearer header, or an x-api-key header. Exa Agent requires OAuth or an API key. The repository links to Exa's dashboard for obtaining an API key.

Tools and capabilities

  • web_search_exa: Searches the web and returns clean, usable content.
  • web_fetch_exa: Retrieves full content from one or more webpages as clean markdown.
  • web_search_advanced_exa: Adds search filters, domain restrictions, date controls, highlights, summaries, and subpage crawling.
  • agent_run: Runs an Exa Agent for multi-step research, list building, enrichment, and structured output.

The advanced tools are optional rather than part of the default endpoint configuration. Agent Plugin and Claude plugin installations can also load repository skills for deeper research, lead generation, competitive analysis, Exa Agent runs, enrichment, structured output, and provider connections. MCP-only configurations still expose the selected MCP tools without those skills.

Limitations and notes

The exa-labs/exa-mcp-server MCP server depends on Exa's hosted service and the availability of the configured MCP client. Anonymous access is rate-limited. Higher limits and Exa Agent access require authentication, using OAuth or an API key.

When the tools parameter is present, it replaces the default tool list; omitting a needed default tool from that parameter removes it from the connection.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Exa MCP Server

Configure an MCP client to use the remote streamable HTTP endpoint https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp, or use a supported client's plugin installation.

Anonymous use is available with rate limits. OAuth or an API key is required for higher limits and Exa Agent access.

Append a tools parameter to the MCP URL, such as ?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,agent_run. The parameter replaces the default tool list.

Related MCP servers

All in Search & Data Extraction All alternatives
Add a badge to your READMEShow it’s listed — live SVG, Markdown or HTML.

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:
Live Dynamic SVG PreviewExa MCP Server AllMCPs Directory Badge
Markdown (GitHub README)
[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/exa-labs-exa-mcp-server?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/exa-labs-exa-mcp-server)
HTML Embed
<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/exa-labs-exa-mcp-server"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/exa-labs-exa-mcp-server?style=directory" alt="Exa MCP Server on AllMCPs" /></a>