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Kick off an Exa Websets search for a named list on an agent.

An agent can host many named lists. Each list spawns its own Exa webset, so distinct criteria buckets (e.g. 'oil & gas operators' vs 'midstream') don't share Exa's per-webset domain-dedup.

Costs 2 Sliq credits per ingested result (charged during ingest). Free when the user has their own Exa key connected.

Refuses to start when the balance can't afford even one result in sliq_credits mode. When the balance covers fewer results than requested, the count is clamped to what's affordable and the result carries a clamp_notice — surface it to the user ("you have X credits, so I'll find Y").

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
agent_idYesThe agent to host the new list.
criteriaYeswhat to search for (the Exa query body).
excludedNocompany domains/URLs the webset must not ingest (matched by domain). Use to avoid re-ingesting rows already recorded in the list, e.g. seeds from find_companies_by_tech_stack.
list_nameYesshort kebab slug identifying the bucket (e.g. 'oil-gas-operators'). Pick a name distinct from any existing list on the agent. Re-using a finished list's name extends it; re-using a running list's name is refused.
entity_typeYes'person' or 'company'. Mixed people+company agents are supported — each list has its own row type.
max_resultsNotarget count (capped at the per-list provider cap).
on_behalf_ofNoAn agency client's email, from list_agency_clients, to run this call in that client's account: their agents, settings, connected accounts, and credits. Omit it to act on your own account.
people_queryNoFor company lists, a positive-form query for the people to find at each new company that the check against `criteria` doesn't reject — controls which people come back. They're saved as person rows on the '<list_name>-people' list when the search finishes. Company lists only; skipped on person lists.
people_titlesNoThe roles `people_query` is asking for, as title keywords, e.g. ['Marketing', 'Growth'] or ['Operations', 'Chief']. Each is matched as a case-insensitive substring of a person's job title and the list is OR-ed, so use the distinctive word a title is built from rather than a whole title: companies word the same job many ways, and a full phrase finds only the ones that word it exactly as written here. Broader words recall more people and admit more adjacent roles, so pick the narrowest word that still covers the variants. Set it whenever `people_query` names roles — the people search runs unattended, so this is its only structured read of the roles you asked for. Company lists only.
people_preferencesNoSoft preferences and exclusions for the people found. Each is checked against them, where only an exclusion rules someone out. Company lists only.
people_exclude_titlesNoTitle keywords to reject, e.g. ['Coordinator', 'Intern']. Same substring matching as `people_titles`, subtracted from it. Whenever `people_preferences` rules a role out, put that role here too — an exclusion written only there applies after the fetch, so the excluded people can still fill the fetched slots. Company lists only.
people_include_alumniNoInclude past employees (alumni) alongside current ones in the people search (default false). Company lists only.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / entity_type / title
      Added value: +"EntityType"
    • addedInput schema / properties / on_behalf_of
      Added value: +{
      +  "anyOf": [
      +    {
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    {
      +      "type": "null"
      +    }
      +  ],
      +  "default": null,
      +  "description": "An agency client's email, from list_agency_clients, to run this call in that client's account: their agents, settings, connected accounts, and credits. Omit it to act on your own account."
      +}
  2. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_include_alumni / description
      Previous value: -"Include past employees (alumni) alongside current\nones in the attached people block (default false). Company lists only."New value: +"Include past employees (alumni) alongside current\nones in the people search (default false). Company lists only."
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_preferences / description
      Previous value: -"Soft preferences and exclusions for the attached\npeople. Each is checked against them, where only an exclusion rules\nsomeone out; the kept people are ordered most senior first. Company\nlists only."New value: +"Soft preferences and exclusions for the people\nfound. Each is checked against them, where only an exclusion rules\nsomeone out. Company lists only."
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_query / description
      Previous value: -"For company lists, a positive-form query for the people to\nattach as a `data.people[]` block on each company row — controls which\npeople come back. Company lists only; skipped on person lists."New value: +"For company lists, a positive-form query for the people to\nfind at each new company that the check against `criteria` doesn't\nreject — controls which people come back. They're saved as person rows\non the '<list_name>-people' list when the search finishes. Company lists\nonly; skipped on person lists."
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_titles / description
      Previous value: -"The roles `people_query` is asking for, as title keywords,\ne.g. ['Marketing', 'Growth'] or ['Operations', 'Chief']. Each is matched\nas a case-insensitive substring of a person's job title and the list is\nOR-ed, so use the distinctive word a title is built from rather than a\nwhole title: companies word the same job many ways, and a full phrase\nfinds only the ones that word it exactly as written here. Broader words\nrecall more people and admit more adjacent roles, so pick the narrowest\nword that still covers the variants. Set it whenever `people_query`\nnames roles — the attachment runs unattended, so this is its only\nstructured read of the roles you asked for. Company lists only."New value: +"The roles `people_query` is asking for, as title keywords,\ne.g. ['Marketing', 'Growth'] or ['Operations', 'Chief']. Each is matched\nas a case-insensitive substring of a person's job title and the list is\nOR-ed, so use the distinctive word a title is built from rather than a\nwhole title: companies word the same job many ways, and a full phrase\nfinds only the ones that word it exactly as written here. Broader words\nrecall more people and admit more adjacent roles, so pick the narrowest\nword that still covers the variants. Set it whenever `people_query`\nnames roles — the people search runs unattended, so this is its only\nstructured read of the roles you asked for. Company lists only."
  3. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / excluded / description
      Previous value: -"company domains/URLs the webset must not ingest (compared by\ncanonical hostname). Use to avoid re-ingesting rows already recorded in\nthe list, e.g. seeds from find_companies_by_tech_stack."New value: +"company domains/URLs the webset must not ingest (matched by\ndomain). Use to avoid re-ingesting rows already recorded in\nthe list, e.g. seeds from find_companies_by_tech_stack."
  4. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_exclude_titles / description
      Previous value: -"Title keywords to reject, e.g. ['Coordinator',\n'Intern']. Same substring matching as `people_titles`, subtracted from\nit. Whenever `people_preferences` rules a role out, put that role here\ntoo — the attachment cannot read the prose, so an exclusion written only\nthere is not applied. Company lists only."New value: +"Title keywords to reject, e.g. ['Coordinator',\n'Intern']. Same substring matching as `people_titles`, subtracted from\nit. Whenever `people_preferences` rules a role out, put that role here\ntoo — an exclusion written only there applies after the fetch, so the\nexcluded people can still fill the fetched slots. Company lists only."
    • changedInput schema / properties / people_preferences / description
      Previous value: -"Soft ranking/filtering preferences (and exclusions)\nfor the attached people. Company lists only."New value: +"Soft preferences and exclusions for the attached\npeople. Each is checked against them, where only an exclusion rules\nsomeone out; the kept people are ordered most senior first. Company\nlists only."
  5. Changed5 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / agent_id
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "The agent to host the new list.",
      +  "type": "integer"
      +}
    • changedInput schema / properties / entity_type / description
      Previous value: -"'person' or 'company'. Mixed people+company tasks are\nsupported — each list has its own row type."New value: +"'person' or 'company'. Mixed people+company agents are\nsupported — each list has its own row type."
    • changedInput schema / properties / list_name / description
      Previous value: -"short kebab slug identifying the bucket (e.g.\n'oil-gas-operators'). Pick a name distinct from any existing list\non the task. Re-using a finished list's name extends it; re-using\na running list's name is refused."New value: +"short kebab slug identifying the bucket (e.g.\n'oil-gas-operators'). Pick a name distinct from any existing list\non the agent. Re-using a finished list's name extends it; re-using\na running list's name is refused."
    • removedInput schema / properties / task_id
      Removed value: -{
      -  "description": "The task to host the new list.",
      -  "type": "integer"
      -}
    • changedInput schema / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "task_id",
      -  "list_name",
      -  "criteria",
      -  "entity_type"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "agent_id",
      +  "list_name",
      +  "criteria",
      +  "entity_type"
      +]
  6. First observed

TDQS

A3.9/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations only declare readOnlyHint=false/destructiveHint=false, and the description adds genuinely non-obvious behavior: a 2-credit-per-ingested-result cost, waiver when the user brings their own Exa key, a hard refusal when the balance can't afford one result, and clamping with a user-facing `clamp_notice`. What it omits is the asynchronous nature of a 'start' call and how to check progress, which matters for a long-running kickoff.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose is front-loaded in the first sentence, followed by dedup rationale, pricing, and failure/clamp behavior in short paragraphs. Every sentence carries information, though the dedup explanation and the quoted clamp_notice script could be tightened without loss.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 12-parameter mutation-free kickoff tool with no output schema, the description covers purpose, cost, refusal, and partial-result clamping -- and even hints at the response via `clamp_notice`. The remaining gap is that it doesn't describe the async lifecycle or the identifier returned to poll, which is significant for a tool whose name is 'start'.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, so all 12 parameters (including the intricate people_* options and `excluded`) are already documented in the schema, which sets the baseline at 3. The description's webset-dedup and criteria-bucket explanation indirectly motivates `list_name` and `excluded` but adds no direct parameter syntax or format detail beyond the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource: 'Kick off an Exa Websets search for a named list on an agent.' The scoping to a named list per agent is unambiguous. However, it never names its closest sibling (extend_find_search), so an agent must infer from the schema that re-using a finished list name extends rather than starts a search.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives a clear rationale for when this tool is the right choice -- distinct criteria buckets should become separate lists because they don't share Exa's per-webset domain-dedup -- plus prerequisites (an existing agent, sufficient balance). It stops short of naming alternative tools, so the routing decision is contextual rather than explicit.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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