Exa MCP Server vs Starfetch
A side-by-side look at the Exa MCP Server and Starfetch MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose Starfetch for aerospace & astrodynamics as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Exa MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
web_search_exa, web_fetch_exa.
Choose Starfetch when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Aerospace & Astrodynamics domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
starfetch_list_presets, starfetch_registry_search, starfetch_tap_availability.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Aerospace & Astrodynamics |
| Quality signal | 73/100 · Great | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 5,159 | 2 |
| Directory activity | 10 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 2 | 12 |
| Full listing | View Exa MCP Server | View Starfetch |
Tools & capabilities
Exa MCP Server tools 2
web_search_exaSearch the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content. Best for: Finding current information, news, facts, people, companies, or answering questions about any topic. Returns: Clean text content from top search results. Query tips: describe the ideal page, not keywords. "blog post comparing React and Vue performance" not "React vs Vue". Use category:people / category:company to search through Linkedin profiles / companies respectively. If highlights are insufficient, follow up with web_fetch_exa on the best URLs.web_fetch_exaRead a webpage's full content as clean markdown. Use after web_search_exa when highlights are insufficient or to read any URL. Best for: Extracting full content from known URLs. Batch multiple URLs in one call. Returns: Clean text content and metadata from the page(s).
Starfetch tools 12
starfetch_list_presetsList built-in TAP service presets before selecting an explicit target for metadata inspection.starfetch_registry_searchSearch VO registry metadata when no built-in preset fits; inspect the selected service before querying it.starfetch_tap_availabilityCheck whether the selected TAP service reports itself available; an unavailable service is not an empty catalog result.starfetch_tap_capabilitiesInspect the selected TAP service's languages, formats, and authentication requirements before using service-specific features.starfetch_tap_tablesList tables on the selected TAP service before choosing an exact table for ADQL.starfetch_tap_columnsInspect names, datatypes, units, and descriptions for an exact metadata-discovered table before constructing ADQL.starfetch_tap_queryRun a small bounded synchronous TAP ADQL query after inspecting the exact table and columns. Use TOP in ADQL and/or maxrec, and treat tool errors as failures rather than empty scientific results.starfetch_tap_submit_jobSubmit metadata-backed bounded ADQL as an explicit TAP async job when synchronous querying is insufficient. Preserve the exact query and use starfetch_tap_query for small work.starfetch_tap_job_statusRead the current phase and links for a TAP async job.starfetch_tap_job_waitPoll a TAP async job until completion, timeout, or terminal failure. This is an explicit wait and never starts a background job.starfetch_tap_job_fetchFetch a TAP async job result. JSON and JSONL conversion supports VOTable, CSV, and TSV rows.starfetch_tap_job_deleteDelete a TAP async job from the remote service.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Exa MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa-labs-exa-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Starfetch
{
"mcpServers": {
"starfetch": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@starfetch-js/mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Exa MCP Server is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Starfetch belongs to Aerospace & Astrodynamics and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Exa MCP Server for search & data extraction work and Starfetch for aerospace & astrodynamics.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Exa MCP Server is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Starfetch has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add exa-labs-exa-mcp-server and starfetch as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Exa MCP Server has a quality signal of 73/100 (Great) with 10 views, 0 installs and 5,159 GitHub stars. Starfetch has 60/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars.