Exa MCP Server

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

1. Clone the repository:

2. Install dependencies:

3. Build the project:

4. 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:

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration:

For Windows:

1. 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. 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

Usage 🎯

Once configured, you can ask Claude to perform web searches. Here are some example prompts:

The server will:

1. Process the search request
2. Query the Exa API with optimal settings (including live crawling)
3. Return formatted results to Claude
4. Cache the search for future reference

Features ✨

• Simplified Web Search Tool: Enables Claude to search the web with just a query parameter
• Customizable Search Parameters: Control the number of results and live crawling strategy
• Automatic Live Crawling: Uses real-time crawling based on specified strategy
• Preset Optimal Parameters: Uses best defaults for result count and character limits
• Search Caching: Saves recent searches as resources for reference
• Error Handling: Gracefully handles API errors and rate limits
• Type Safety: Full TypeScript implementation with Zod validation
• MCP Compliance: Fully implements the latest MCP protocol specification

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

1. Server Not Found
   • Verify the npm link is correctly set up
   • Check Claude Desktop configuration syntax
   • Ensure Node.js is properly installed
2. API Key Issues
   • Confirm your EXA_API_KEY is valid
   • Check the EXA_API_KEY is correctly set in the Claude Desktop config
   • Verify no spaces or quotes around the API key
3. Connection Issues
   • Restart Claude Desktop completely
   • Check Claude Desktop logs:
   # macOS tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log # Windows type "%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log"

Getting Help

If you encounter issues, review the MCP Documentation or visit the GitHub discussions for community support.

Acknowledgments 🙏

• Exa AI for their powerful search API
• Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
• Anthropic for Claude Desktop