exa

name

exa

description

Advanced web search via Exa MCP server. Use when you need: (1) High-quality web search with better results than standard search, (2) Deep research across multiple sources, (3) Code context search, (4) Company research, (5) LinkedIn search, or (6) Crawling web pages. The Exa MCP provides tools: web_search (advanced search), get_code_context (deep code search), crawling_exa (page crawling), company_research_exa, linkedin_search_exa, and deep_researcher.

Exa - Advanced Web Search

Exa is an MCP server that provides intelligent web search with superior ranking and filtering compared to standard search engines.

MCP Server Setup

The Exa MCP server should be configured in your MCP settings. The server URL is:

https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Configuration requires an Exa API key.

Available Tools

web_search

Advanced web search with intelligent ranking and filtering.

Parameters:

• query (string): Search query
• numResults (number, optional): Number of results to return (default: 10)
• includeDomains (array, optional): Restrict to specific domains
• excludeDomains (array, optional): Exclude specific domains
• startPublishedDate (string, optional): Filter by publish date (ISO format)
• endPublishedDate (string, optional): Filter by publish date (ISO format)

Use cases:

• Finding high-quality articles and sources
• Research with domain-specific constraints
• Time-sensitive queries (news, recent updates)
• Comparing sources across specific websites

get_code_context

Deep search for code-related content across the web.

Parameters:

• query (string): Code-related search query
• numResults (number, optional): Number of results
• language (string, optional): Programming language filter

Use cases:

• Finding code examples and snippets
• Discovering implementations of specific algorithms
• Researching libraries and frameworks
• Finding documentation for coding problems

crawling_exa

Crawl and extract content from web pages.

Parameters:

• url (string): URL to crawl
• depth (number, optional): Crawl depth (default: 1)

Use cases:

• Extracting full content from specific URLs
• Multi-page crawling with controlled depth
• Content extraction for analysis

company_research_exa

Research companies and organizations.

Parameters:

• query (string): Company name or description
• numResults (number, optional): Number of results

Use cases:

• Company overviews and information
• Finding articles about specific companies
• Competitive research
• Company news and updates

linkedin_search_exa

Search LinkedIn profiles and content.

Parameters:

• query (string): LinkedIn search query
• numResults (number, optional): Number of results

Use cases:

• Finding professionals and experts
• Company employee research
• Industry networking
• Finding LinkedIn articles and posts

deep_researcher

Multi-step research across multiple queries and sources.

Parameters:

• query (string): Main research question
• maxSteps (number, optional): Maximum research steps (default: 5)

Use cases:

• Complex topics requiring multiple angles
• Comprehensive research reports
• Fact-checking across multiple sources
• Building knowledge on unfamiliar topics

Best Practices

1. Prefer web_search for most queries - Exa's ranking is generally superior to standard search
2. Use domain filters - Restricting to trusted domains improves quality for technical queries
3. Leverage date filters - For news or time-sensitive information, always set date ranges
4. Use deep_researcher for complex topics - When you need comprehensive coverage from multiple angles
5. Combine tools - Use company_research_exa followed by web_search with specific domains for deeper insights

When Not to Use Exa

• Simple, factual queries that don't require intelligent ranking
• Searching your own local files or knowledge base
• Real-time queries (Exa is not a live search engine)
• Queries better suited to specialized APIs (e.g., weather, stock prices)