Exa · official
Exa Search
Semantic web search built for AI assistants.
Exa is a search engine designed for AI: instead of keyword matching it understands meaning, and returns clean page contents the assistant can quote directly. Strong for research questions ("find papers/articles about …") where classic search engines return SEO noise. Free tier with API key.
Install Exa Search
You need: an AI app that supports skills (pick yours above) · Node.js (LTS) — one-time install from nodejs.org. Check with `node -v` in a terminal. · An API key (EXA_API_KEY) — free tier available, get it at https://dashboard.exa.ai/
Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config in Claude Desktop (this opens claude_desktop_config.json) and merge this block, then fully restart the app:
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"exa-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"EXA_API_KEY": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}Before saving, replace YOUR_EXA_API_KEY with your key from dashboard.exa.ai (free tier).
Vendor
Exa
Category
Web search & scraping
API key
EXA_API_KEY
Source
FAQ
What is the Exa Search skill?
Exa is a search engine designed for AI: instead of keyword matching it understands meaning, and returns clean page contents the assistant can quote directly. Strong for research questions ("find papers/articles about …") where classic search engines return SEO noise. Free tier with API key.
How do I install Exa Search in Claude Desktop?
Open Settings → Developer → Edit Config in Claude Desktop and add a exa entry under mcpServers (the install widget on this page generates the exact block). Fully restart the app afterwards. Local skills run on Node.js — install the LTS version from nodejs.org once.
Does Exa Search need an API key?
Yes — EXA_API_KEY (free tier available, from https://dashboard.exa.ai/). The install widget shows where to put it.
Which apps can use Exa Search?
Exa Search works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code — any app that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Is my site ready for AI agents like the ones using Exa Search?
Run a free check at https://agentics.page — it audits whether your robots.txt allows the right bots, whether you publish llms.txt and JSON-LD, and whether AI agents can actually consume your site.
Is your domain ready for AI agents?
Assistants equipped with skills like Exa Search are already visiting your site. agentics checks whether they can read, find, and trust your domain — free, no signup.
Run free check →