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Exa MCP

Exa

Streamable HTTP (remote); stdio (local)4+ documented tools23

About Exa MCP

Exa's hosted MCP server provides web search and page fetching for AI clients, with optional advanced search and multi-step Exa Agent research tools.

What you can use it for

  • Search the web and return clean content for answers
  • Fetch webpages into Markdown
  • Run filtered advanced searches
  • Delegate multi-step research and structured workflows to Exa Agent
Connection and setup
Hosting
Remote hosted; local stdio package also documented
Transport
Streamable HTTP (remote); stdio (local)
Endpoint
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
Authentication
Anonymous hosted use is documented with rate limits. OAuth or Exa API key unlocks higher limits and Exa Agent. API key can be provided using x-api-key/Bearer header or URL query parameter; headers are preferable to avoid credential-bearing URLs.

Requirements

  • MCP client supporting remote Streamable HTTP or local npm runtime
  • Exa account/API key for elevated rate limits or agent_run; anonymous use is rate-limited
  • Review Exa account plan and usage before enabling optional research tools

Setup steps

  1. Add https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp as Streamable HTTP in the selected client.
  2. For standard use, default tools are web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa; no key is needed for anonymous rate-limited access.
  3. For account access, use OAuth or configure an Exa API key as a protected x-api-key or Authorization header; avoid embedding secrets in URLs.
  4. Optional tools are selected via the tools query parameter, which replaces the defaults, so include every desired tool explicitly.
  5. Reload/reconnect and verify with a search on a non-sensitive query.
Tools 4+

These four names are not a universal full catalog; the hosted server exposes configurable tools, with web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa documented as the core web search and fetch operations. Free anonymous access is rate-limited.

  • web_search_exa
    01
  • web_fetch_exa
    02
  • agent_run
    03
  • web_search_advanced_exa
    04

This server’s available tools can vary by account, permissions, or configuration. The list shown is not its full runtime catalog.

Limitations and notes
  • Anonymous access is rate-limited; agent_run requires OAuth or API key.
  • When using tools=, the URL selection replaces default tools rather than adding to them.
  • Do not put API keys in shared/committed configuration or query strings; prefer protected headers.
  • Tool catalogs and options may change; discover tools from the running endpoint.
Original sources
  • official tool reference

    The hosted endpoint offers a configurable tool set. Official current examples include web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa; tool selection can vary by client configuration.

  • official documentation

    The hosted endpoint offers a configurable tool set. Official current examples include web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa; tool selection can vary by client configuration.

Documentation checked 2026-10-28T13:02:00.000Z. Connection has not been runtime tested.

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