Exa MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server lets AI assistants like Claude use the Exa AI Search API for web searches. This setup allows AI models to get real-time web information in a safe and controlled way.
Demo video https://www.loom.com/share/ac676f29664e4c6cb33a2f0a63772038?sid=0e72619f-5bfc-415d-a705-63d326373f60
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a system that lets AI apps, like Claude Desktop, connect to external tools and data sources. It gives a clear and safe way for AI assistants to work with local services and APIs while keeping the user in control.
What does this server do?
The Exa MCP server:
- Enables AI assistants to perform web searches using Exa's powerful search API
- Provides structured search results including titles, URLs, and content snippets
- Caches recent searches as resources for reference
- Handles rate limiting and error cases gracefully
- Supports real-time web crawling for fresh content
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- Claude Desktop installed
- An Exa API key
- Git installed
You can verify your Node.js installation by running:
Installation
NPM Installation
Using Smithery
To install the Exa MCP server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
Manual Installation
- Clone the repository:
- Install dependencies:
- Build the project:
- Create a global link (this makes the server executable from anywhere):
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:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
For Windows:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
2. Add the Exa server configuration:
Replace
your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key from dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.3. Available Tools & Tool Selection
The Exa MCP server includes the following tools:
- web_search: Performs real-time web searches with optimized results and content extraction.
- research_paper_search: Specialized search focused on academic papers and research content.
- twitter_search: Dedicated Twitter/X.com search that finds tweets, profiles, and conversations.
- 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.
- competitor_finder: Identifies competitors of a company by searching for businesses offering similar products or services.
You can choose which tools to enable by adding the
--tools parameter to your Claude Desktop configuration:Specify which tools to enable:
For enabling multiple tools, use a comma-separated list:
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:
- Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
- Start Claude Desktop again
- 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:
Usage
Once configured, you can ask Claude to perform web searches. Here are some example prompts:
The server will:
- Process the search request
- Query the Exa API with optimal settings (including live crawling)
- Return formatted results to Claude
- Cache the search for future reference
Testing with MCP Inspector
You can test the server directly using the MCP Inspector:
This opens an interactive interface where you can explore the server's capabilities, execute search queries, and view cached search results.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- Server Not Found
- API Key Issues
- Connection Issues
Acknowledgments
- Exa AI for their powerful search API
- Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
- Anthropic for Claude Desktop
Exa MCP Server
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server lets AI assistants like Claude use the Exa AI Search API for web searches. This setup allows AI models to get real-time web information in a safe and controlled way.
Demo video https://www.loom.com/share/ac676f29664e4c6cb33a2f0a63772038?sid=0e72619f-5bfc-415d-a705-63d326373f60
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a system that lets AI apps, like Claude Desktop, connect to external tools and data sources. It gives a clear and safe way for AI assistants to work with local services and APIs while keeping the user in control.
What does this server do?
The Exa MCP server:
- Enables AI assistants to perform web searches using Exa's powerful search API
- Provides structured search results including titles, URLs, and content snippets
- Caches recent searches as resources for reference
- Handles rate limiting and error cases gracefully
- Supports real-time web crawling for fresh content
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- Claude Desktop installed
- An Exa API key
- Git installed
You can verify your Node.js installation by running:
Installation
NPM Installation
Using Smithery
To install the Exa MCP server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
Manual Installation
- Clone the repository:
- Install dependencies:
- Build the project:
- Create a global link (this makes the server executable from anywhere):
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:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
For Windows:
- Open your Claude Desktop configuration:
2. Add the Exa server configuration:
Replace
your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key from dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys.3. Available Tools & Tool Selection
The Exa MCP server includes the following tools:
- web_search: Performs real-time web searches with optimized results and content extraction.
- research_paper_search: Specialized search focused on academic papers and research content.
- twitter_search: Dedicated Twitter/X.com search that finds tweets, profiles, and conversations.
- 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.
- competitor_finder: Identifies competitors of a company by searching for businesses offering similar products or services.
You can choose which tools to enable by adding the
--tools parameter to your Claude Desktop configuration:Specify which tools to enable:
For enabling multiple tools, use a comma-separated list:
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:
- Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
- Start Claude Desktop again
- 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:
Usage
Once configured, you can ask Claude to perform web searches. Here are some example prompts:
The server will:
- Process the search request
- Query the Exa API with optimal settings (including live crawling)
- Return formatted results to Claude
- Cache the search for future reference
Testing with MCP Inspector
You can test the server directly using the MCP Inspector:
This opens an interactive interface where you can explore the server's capabilities, execute search queries, and view cached search results.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- Server Not Found
- API Key Issues
- Connection Issues
Acknowledgments
- Exa AI for their powerful search API
- Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
- Anthropic for Claude Desktop