Exa MCP

# Exa MCP Server 🔍 [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/exa-mcp-server) [](https://smithery.ai/server/exa) ## 🆕 `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: ```json { "mcpServers": { "exa": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp", "headers": { "Remove-Me": "Disable web_search_exa tool if you're just coding. To 100% call exa-code, say 'use exa-code'." } } } } ``` You may include your exa api key in the url like this: ``` https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUREXAKEY ``` You may whitelist specific tools in the url with the `enabledTools` parameter which expects a url encoded array strings like this: ``` https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUREXAKEY&enabledTools=%5B%22crawling_exa%ss%5D ``` You can also use `exa-code` through [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/exa) without an Exa API key. --- 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: ```json { "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: ```json { "mcpServers": { "exa": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp", "headers": {} } } } ``` ### Codex Configuration for Remote MCP Open your Codex configuration file: ```bash code ~/.codex/config.toml ``` Add this configuration: ```toml [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](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys). ### Claude Code Plugin The easiest way to get started with Exa in Claude Code, using plugins: ```bash # 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: ```bash export EXA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" ``` Get your API key from [dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys). ### NPM Installation ```bash npm install -g exa-mcp-server ``` ### Using Claude Code ```bash 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](https://smithery.ai/server/exa), head over to: [smithery.ai/server/exa](https://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: 1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration: ```bash code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json ``` #### For Windows: 1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration: ```powershell code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json ``` ### 2. Add the Exa server configuration: ```json { "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](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys). ### 3. Available Tools & Tool Selection The Exa MCP server includes powerful tools for developers and researchers: #### 🔥 **Featured: Code Search Tool** - **get_code_context_exa**: 🆕 **NEW!** 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. #### 🌐 **Other Available Tools** - **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. You can choose which tools to enable by adding the `--tools` parameter to your Claude Desktop configuration: #### 💻 **Setup for Code Search Only** (Recommended for Developers) ```json { "mcpServers": { "exa": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "exa-mcp-server", "--tools=get_code_context_exa,web_search_exa" ], "env": { "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } } ``` #### Specify which tools to enable: ```json { "mcpServers": { "exa": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "exa-mcp-server", "--tools=get_code_context_exa,web_search_exa,company_research,crawling,linkedin_search,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check" ], "env": { "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } } ``` For enabling multiple tools, use a comma-separated list: ```json { "mcpServers": { "exa": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "exa-mcp-server", "--tools=get_code_context_exa,web_search_exa,company_research,crawling,linkedin_search,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check" ], "env": { "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } } ``` If you don't specify any tools, all tools enabled by default will be used. ### 4. Restart Claude Desktop For the changes to take effect: 1. Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window) 2. Start Claude Desktop again 3. Look for the icon to verify the Exa server is connected ## Using via NPX If you prefer to run the server directly, you can use npx: ```bash # Run with all tools enabled by default npx exa-mcp-server # Enable specific tools only npx exa-mcp-server --tools=web_search_exa # Enable multiple tools npx exa-mcp-server --tools=web_search_exa,get_code_context_exa # List all available tools npx exa-mcp-server --list-tools ``` --- Built with ❤️ by team Exa