| name | exa-search |
| description | Grounded semantic search and asynchronous research through Centra AI's router-owned Exa MCP. Use for controlled web evidence, company research, known-URL extraction, outbound briefs, or source-grounded drafts. |
| origin | Centra AI/Paxlabs |
Exa Search
Use Centra AI's router-owned Exa lane for semantic retrieval, extractive contents, and bounded multi-source research. Neo never receives the vendor API key.
Runtime Boundary
Use only the shipped exa__* tools. The Centra router owns vendor credentials, user scoping, rate and spend limits, caching, run ownership, metering, and cancellation. Never ask the user for an Exa key, install a vendor MCP, or call Exa directly.
Choosing the Evidence Lane
- Keep
web_search / web_news plus fetch as the cheap default for ordinary discovery.
- Use
exa_search when semantic matching, source/date controls, financial reports, or deeper synthesis materially improves retrieval.
- Use
exa_contents for extractive evidence or bounded full text from 1-10 known URLs.
- Use asynchronous Agent research only for a genuinely multi-source question that benefits from structured synthesis.
Tools
exa_search
Supports query, type, num_results, category, domain include/exclude lists, publication-date bounds, and an extractive highlight_query.
exa_search(query: "current WebAssembly component model adoption", num_results: 8, start_published_date: "2026-01-01")
exa_contents
Returns highlights or bounded full text and a status for every requested URL. An HTTP-successful batch can still be partial; preserve and report every failed URL status.
exa_contents(urls: ["https://example.com/report"], highlight_query: "revenue guidance")
Asynchronous Research
Call exa_research_start, then poll the owned run with exa_research_get. Only completed terminal output and its grounding are authoritative. Use exa_research_continue for a bounded follow-up and exa_research_cancel when queued or running work is no longer needed.
Bounded Workflows
exa_outbound_brief returns sourced company/person context and talking points; it sends nothing.exa_social_draft returns a source-grounded draft; it publishes nothing.
Grounding Rules
- Exa highlights and Contents extracts are source evidence.
- Exa answers, Agent research, outbound briefs, and social drafts are generated synthesis.
- Only terminal Agent grounding authorizes generated claims; previews and intermediate source lists do not.
- Preserve provider request IDs, retrieval times, costs, cache state, and partial URL failures when they matter to the answer.
- If grounded research conflicts with canonical market data, retain both sourced values and timestamps and state the conflict.
Related Skills
deep-research for a complete multi-source workflow.market-research for decision-oriented business analysis.
