Best Claude Apps

Official · remote server

Exa MCP server

Yes. Exa runs an official remote MCP server. You sign in with your Exa account in the browser, so there is no API key to paste.

Maintained by
Exa
Sign-in
Exa account no API key
Tools
2 2 read · 0 write
Community servers
3 by third parties in the MCP Registry
Docs
docs.exa.ai
Source
exa-labs/exa-mcp-server

Where the Exa server is listed

01Setup

How to connect the Exa MCP server

Every client below points at the same official URL. Pick yours.

Claude (web, desktop and mobile)

  1. 1 Click Add to Claude, or open Settings → Connectors → Browse connectors and search for Exa.
  2. 2 Click Connect. Sign in to Exa and approve the access it asks for.
  3. 3 In a chat, open the tools menu under the message box and check Exa is on.

Tool-by-tool permissions, security notes and reviews: Exa connector for Claude.

Claude Code

  1. 1
    Run this in your terminal: 
    claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
    Add --scope user to use it in every project, or --scope project to share it through .mcp.json.
  2. 2 Start Claude Code, type /mcp, pick exa and sign in to Exa in the browser.
  3. 3 Check it with claude mcp list.

ChatGPT

Exa is in ChatGPT’s plugin directory, published by Exa Labs Inc. . Open it and click Connect , then sign in to Exa.

Exa in ChatGPT

Cursor

Add to Cursor

One click if the app is installed, or add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or .cursor/mcp.json in a project) , then check it under Settings → MCP.

~/.cursor/mcp.json 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Add to VS Code

One click if the app is installed, or add this to .vscode/mcp.json in your project , then start the server from the file or the MCP view. It is used by Copilot agent mode.

.vscode/mcp.json 
{
  "servers": {
    "exa": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add this to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json , then refresh the MCP list in Cascade.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Codex CLI

Add this to ~/.codex/config.toml , then restart Codex.

~/.codex/config.toml 
[mcp_servers.exa]
url = "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
Where it runs
On Exa’s side, at mcp.exa.ai. Nothing is installed on your machine.
Sign-in
Each person signs in with their own Exa account in the browser. The client gets that account’s access, nothing more.
Client only runs local servers?
Bridge to the remote URL with mcp-remote: npx mcp-remote https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

02Capabilities

What the Exa MCP server can do

Summarised from the 2 tools in Exa’s listing: what an AI client can read, and what it can change.

Reads
Code context exa, Exa
Deletes
No delete tool is listed. None of the 2 tool names starts with delete, remove or archive.

Exa’s own one-liner: “Web Search + Code Docs Search” (Claude directory listing)

Example prompts from the official listings

  • “Find AI companies whose core product is open source. Use Exa.”

    ChatGPT

  • “Find the latest Stripe API documentation. Use Exa.”

    ChatGPT

  • “Papers measuring the labor market effects of generative AI. Use Exa.”

    ChatGPT

03Tools

Exa MCP tools

All 2 tools an AI client can call once connected: 2 read, 0 create or change.

  • get_code_context_exa Read
  • web_search_exa Read

Tool names from Exa’s listing in Claude’s connector directory, checked 2026-10-20. Read and write labels are our reading of each name’s verb. In Claude you can set each tool to ask before it runs.

04Servers

Official vs community Exa MCP servers

4 servers for Exa in the official MCP Registry. “Official” means the registry entry is tied to exa.ai or Exa’s own GitHub account; community servers are built by anyone else.

  • Official exa v3.4.1

    Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

    Runs
    Remote mcp.exa.ai
    Registry
    ai.exa/exa
    Published
    Sep 2026
    Source
    exa-labs/exa-mcp-server
    Config for this server

    Claude Code

    claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

    Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop (mcpServers)

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Community Exa Search v1.0.0

    Search the live web and fetch clean content from source pages.

    Runs
    Remote gen.pollinations.ai
    Registry
    io.github.pollinations/exa
    Published
    Sep 2026
    Source
    pollinations/pollinations
    Config for this server

    Claude Code

    claude mcp add --transport http exa https://gen.pollinations.ai/mcp/exa

    Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop (mcpServers)

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://gen.pollinations.ai/mcp/exa"
    }
  }
}
  • Community Exa v0.1.2

    Exa MCP — neural/semantic web search + content retrieval (exa.ai)

    Runs
    Remote gateway.pipeworx.io
    Registry
    io.github.pipeworx-io/exa
    Published
    Sep 2026
    Source
    pipeworx-io/mcp-exa
    Config for this server

    Claude Code

    claude mcp add --transport http exa https://gateway.pipeworx.io/exa/mcp

    Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop (mcpServers)

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/exa/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Community mcp-exa v0.1.1

    MCP server exposing Exa websearch API

    Runs
    Local · PyPI mcp-exa
    Registry
    io.github.daedalus/mcp-exa
    Published
    Mar 2026
    Source
    daedalus/mcp-exa
    Config for this server

    Claude Code

    claude mcp add exa -- uvx mcp-exa

    Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop (mcpServers)

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-exa"
      ]
    }
  }
}

05FAQ

Exa MCP questions

Is there an official Exa MCP server?

Yes. Exa runs an official remote MCP server at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. You sign in with your Exa account in the browser; there is no API key to paste. It exposes 2 tools: 2 read and 0 write.

What is the Exa MCP server URL?

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. It is a remote MCP server over streamable HTTP, hosted at mcp.exa.ai. Paste it into any client that supports remote MCP servers.

How do I add the Exa MCP server to Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. Then start Claude Code, type /mcp, choose exa and sign in to Exa. Add --scope user to make it available in every project.

How do I use the Exa MCP server in Cursor or VS Code?

In Cursor, add it to ~/.cursor/mcp.json under "mcpServers" as {"exa": {"url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"}}. In VS Code, add it to .vscode/mcp.json under "servers" with "type": "http" and the same URL. Both apps also accept the one-click install links on this page.

Does the Exa MCP server need an API key?

No key to copy. You sign in to your Exa account in the browser when you first connect, and the client acts with that account’s access.

What tools does the Exa MCP server have?

2 tools: web_search_exa, get_code_context_exa.

Does Exa work in ChatGPT?

Yes. Exa is in ChatGPT’s plugin directory, published by Exa Labs Inc..

Should I use an official or a community Exa MCP server?

Start with the official server: it is run by Exa. The 3 community servers are built by third parties; remote ones route your data through their own hosts and local ones usually need an API key.

Sources: the official MCP Registry, Exa in Claude’s connector directory , Exa in ChatGPT’s plugin directory, checked October 20, 2026. Client config formats follow each client’s own docs. This site is independent and not affiliated with Exa, Anthropic or OpenAI. See also the Exa connector page for reviews.

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