Exa

Name: Exa
Author: exa-labs

by exa-labsversion 3.4.1i★ 5,213iRuns in the cloud

Registry nameai.exa/exa

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi4 of 4 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiGrowing★ 5,213

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs in the cloud
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Category: Search & AI memory

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

You need

Runs in the cloudNothing to install; it connects over the internet

Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS Code

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, and paste this address

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 5, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified against the domain exa.ai (the registry checks domain ownership)
✓ Pass
Still maintained
Code last changed 2 days ago
✓ Pass
Has a licence
Uses MIT
✓ Pass
Endpoint responds
Responded in 267 ms (HTTP 200)
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
No sign-in needed
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Needs the server’s tool list first; this check starts in the next step

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

More stars than 80% of the other 10 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 50% of the other 10 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 10 servers in this category

Compared only with servers in this prototype, not the whole registry.

Common questions

Is Exa safe?

It passed 4 of 4 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs in the maker’s cloud. Connect over the internet with nothing to install, but what you send passes through the maker’s servers.

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed 2 days ago, and the latest version (3.4.1) reached the registry 43 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. It connects by URL, so apps that accept remote MCP servers work too, such as ChatGPT in developer mode.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Context7, Codebase Memory, Tavily MCP

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Context7

by upstash

Feeds AI the latest docs for libraries and frameworks before it answers, so code it writes does not use outdated, removed functions.

Computer or cloud★ 64,224MITUpdated 2 days ago

Codebase Memory

by DeusData

Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents — 162 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens.

Runs on your computer★ 48,148MITUpdated 19 days ago

Tavily MCP

by tavily-ai

MCP server for advanced web search using Tavily

Runs on your computer★ 2,478MITUpdated 9 months ago

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Exa MCP Server

Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

Documentation · NPM Package · Get your API key

Installation

Connect to Exa's hosted MCP server:

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Or use a plugin when your client supports one.

Agent Plugin

This repository is an Agent Plugin. Install it with any compatible client.

Claude

Install from the Claude Plugin Marketplace, or run:

claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official

Codex / ChatGPT

Install via Plugins in ChatGPT, or run:

codex mcp add exa --url https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Other MCP Clients

Most clients can be configured manually with the standard mcpServers shape:

"mcpServers": { "exa": { "type": "streamable-http", "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp", } } }

Client-specific configs

Exa MCP works with most other clients, point them at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp.

Client	Where to add it
Kiro	Use the Kiro power, or add manually to `~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json`
LM Studio	Add to LM Studio, or add manually to `mcp.json`
Replit	Add to Replit
Grok Build	`/marketplace` → install Exa, then `/mcp` to sign in
Gemini CLI	Add manually to `~/.gemini/settings.json`
OpenCode	Add manually to `opencode.json`
Windsurf	Add manually to `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Google Antigravity	Add manually to `mcp_config.json`
Zed	Add manually to `settings.json` under `context_servers`
Warp	Settings → Agents → MCP servers
v0 by Vercel	Settings → MCP connections

Available Tools

Default Tools

Tool	Description
`web_search_exa`	Search the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content
`web_fetch_exa`	Read a webpage's full content as clean markdown from one or more URLs

Optional Tools (enable via the `tools` parameter)

Tool	Description
`agent_run`	Run an Exa Agent for multi-step research, list-building, enrichment, and structured output
`web_search_advanced_exa`	Advanced search with filters, domains, dates, highlights, summaries, and subpage crawling

Enable tools by appending them to the MCP URL (this will replace the defaults, so include all you want):

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_advanced_exa

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,agent_run

Exa Agent requires authentication (OAuth or an API key).

Dynamic Highlights (beta)

Add dynamicHighlights=true to the MCP URL to make web_search_exa and web_search_advanced_exa return Dynamic Highlights. These are highlights chosen across all results under one shared budget, not a fixed budget per URL, so less text reaches your agent's context. When the server runs locally, set DYNAMIC_HIGHLIGHTS=true instead.

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?dynamicHighlights=true

Agent Skills

Skills live in skills/ and load with Agent Plugin installs. The Claude plugin in plugins/exa/ ships a copy of them; npm test fails when the copy drifts. Each package version bump on main publishes plugins/exa/ to the root of the claude-plugin branch, which Claude's plugin directory reads. To publish a plugin-only change between releases, run the Publish Claude plugin workflow manually.

Skill	Path	Use when
`search`	`skills/search/`	Deep research, lead gen, competitive analysis, multi-step web investigation
`exa-agent`	`skills/exa-agent/`	Exa Agent runs, enrichment, structured output, Connect providers

Invoke from your client's skill UI (or /skill-name where supported). MCP-only setups still get the tools; skills add orchestration on top.

Authentication

The hosted MCP server works anonymously with rate limits. For higher limits and access to Exa Agent, use either OAuth or an API key.

OAuth is preferred: most clients prompt you to sign in to Exa. To force the login flow (useful for shared connectors and plugins), use https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login or https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp/oauth.

If you prefer, you can get an API key from the dashboard and pass it on the URL as ?exaApiKey=…. You can also send it as a Authorization: Bearer … header or an x-api-key header.

Built with ❤️ by Exa

Exa