Exa

What it does

Neural web search that returns full page contents alongside results, which removes a second fetch step for research agents. Better than keyword search for conceptual queries, worse for exact strings and error messages.

Install

npx -y exa-mcp-server

Client configuration

Paste this into your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any client that reads mcpServers), then restart the client.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

When to use it

Reach for this when the task needs search inside the agent loop. Skip it if a plain shell command or a one-off script is enough — every server you add costs context and adds a failure mode.

Other TypeScript servers

• Filesystem — Gives an agent scoped read, write, and search access to directories you explicitly allow
• Memory — A persistent knowledge graph stored in a local JSON file, exposed through entities, relations, and observations
• Sequential Thinking — Gives the model a scratchpad for structured, revisable reasoning: numbered thoughts that can branch, revise, and conclude