Exa MCP Server

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. The provided material documents a hosted endpoint and client configuration, but does not specify a local runtime command or an open-source license for running the repository independently.