wangfeiwest2025 Exa MCP - AI-Powered Search Tools
Exa MCP provides AI-optimized search capabilities through multiple specialized tools. Use when you need to search the web, find code examples, research companies, locate people, crawl specific content, or conduct deep research.
Configuration
MCP Server URL:
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
To enable all tools (as configured):
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_search_advanced_exa,get_code_context_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,people_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check
For your own API key (to exceed free limits):
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUR_EXA_KEY
Available Tools
Core Tools (Always Available)
1. web_search_exa - Web Search
Search the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content.
Use when: User asks to search the web, find recent news, research a topic, get information about anything.
Best for: General web searches, news, articles, blog posts, documentation.
2. get_code_context_exa - Code Search
Find code examples, documentation, and programming solutions from GitHub, Stack Overflow, and developer documentation.
Use when: User needs code examples, API documentation, programming tutorials, or wants to learn how to implement something.
Best for: Finding code snippets, learning new APIs, debugging with examples, exploring open source projects.
3. company_research_exa - Company Research
Research any company to get business information, news, and insights.
Use when: User asks about a company, wants business information, company news, or competitive analysis.
Best for: Company overviews, product information, recent news, financial insights, competitive intelligence.
Advanced Tools (Available)
4. web_search_advanced_exa - Advanced Web Search
Advanced web search with full control over filters, domains, dates, and content options.
Use when: Need precise search with specific filters, date ranges, domain exclusions/inclusions, or content type preferences.
Best for: Targeted research, technical searches, domain-specific content, time-sensitive queries.
5. crawling_exa - Webpage Crawling
Get the full content of a specific webpage from a known URL.
Use when: User provides a specific URL and wants the complete content extracted.
Best for: Extracting full article content, reading documentation pages, processing specific URLs.
6. people_search_exa - People Search
Find people and their professional profiles.
Use when: User needs to find someone's LinkedIn profile, professional background, or identify experts in a field.
Best for: Finding professionals, locating experts, professional networking, background research.
7. deep_researcher_start - Start Deep Research
Start an AI research agent that searches, reads, and writes a detailed report.
Use when: User needs comprehensive research on a complex topic that requires multiple sources and synthesis.
Best for: In-depth reports, comprehensive research, multi-source synthesis, detailed analysis.
8. deep_researcher_check - Check Deep Research
Check status and get results from a deep research task.
Use when: Started a deep research task and need to check progress or retrieve results.
Usage Patterns
Pattern 1: Simple Web Search
User: "What's the latest news about AI agents?"
→ Use: web_search_exa
Query: "latest news about AI agents"
Pattern 2: Code Examples
User: "Show me how to implement OAuth 2.0 in Python"
→ Use: get_code_context_exa
Query: "OAuth 2.0 implementation Python"
Pattern 3: Company Research
User: "Tell me about Stripe's products and recent news"
→ Use: company_research_exa
Query: "Stripe"
Pattern 4: People Search
User: "Find experts in quantum computing"
→ Use: people_search_exa
Query: "quantum computing experts"
Pattern 5: Extract URL Content
User: "Read this article: https://example.com/article"
→ Use: crawling_exa
URL: "https://example.com/article"
Pattern 6: Deep Research Flow
User: "Create a detailed report on quantum computing startups"
→ Step 1: Use deep_researcher_start with detailed query
→ Step 2: Use deep_researcher_check to monitor progress
→ Step 3: Retrieve final report when complete
Best Practices
- Start simple: Use core tools (web_search_exa, get_code_context_exa, company_research_exa) first
- Advanced filters: Use web_search_advanced_exa only when you need specific controls
- Deep research: Use deep_researcher_start for complex topics requiring synthesis
- Known URLs: Use crawling_exa when you have the exact URL, not for discovery
- People search: Use people_search_exa for professional profiles and experts
- Always check: Use deep_researcher_check to monitor long-running research tasks
Rate Limits
Exa MCP has a generous free plan. For higher limits, add your own API key:
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?exaApiKey=YOUR_EXA_KEY
Get your key at: https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys
Integration Notes
This skill assumes Exa MCP is properly configured and available. The tools are accessed through MCP client integration and appear as available tools in your tool list.
More Information
- Exa MCP Documentation: https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp.md
- GitHub Repository: https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server
- npm Package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/exa-mcp-server
- Exa Dashboard: https://dashboard.exa.ai