Exa Web Search MCP Server

Overview

Exa Web Search is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants like Claude to perform real-time web searches using the Exa AI Search API. This integration allows AI models to access current information from the internet in a safe and controlled environment.

Prerequisites

Before installing Exa Web Search, you'll need:

• An Exa API key
• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• Claude Desktop installed

Installation Options

Option 1: Using NPM

Install the package globally:

npm install -g exa-mcp-server

Option 2: Using Smithery

For automatic installation with Claude Desktop:

npx -y @smithery/cli install exa --client claude

Option 3: Using NPX Directly

Run the server without installation:

# Run with all tools enabled
npx exa-mcp-server

# Enable specific tools
npx exa-mcp-server --tools=web_search_exa

# Enable multiple tools
npx exa-mcp-server --tools=web_search_exa,research_paper_search

# List all available tools
npx exa-mcp-server --list-tools

Configuration

Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop and enable Developer Mode from the menu bar
2. Open Settings and navigate to Developer Options
3. Click "Edit Config" to open the configuration file

Alternatively, open the configuration file directly:

For macOS:

code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

For Windows:

code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add Exa Server Configuration

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-key-here with your actual Exa API key.

Tool Selection

You can specify which tools to enable by adding the --tools parameter:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "exa-mcp-server",
        "--tools=web_search_exa,research_paper_search,company_research"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you don't specify any tools, all tools will be enabled by default.

Restart Claude Desktop

After making configuration changes:

1. Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
2. Start Claude Desktop again
3. Look for the 🔌 icon to verify the Exa server is connected

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Server Not Found

   • Verify the npm installation is correct
   • Check Claude Desktop configuration syntax
   • Ensure Node.js v18+ is properly installed

2. API Key Issues

   • Confirm your EXA_API_KEY is valid
   • Check the EXA_API_KEY is correctly set in the configuration
   • Verify no spaces or quotes around the API key

3. Connection Issues

   • Restart Claude Desktop completely
   • Check Claude Desktop logs:

macOS:

tail -n 20 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

Windows:

type "%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log"