MCP or Not?

Draft: research not yet reviewed. Hidden from search engines and production.

OfficialClaude connector: yes

Exa MCP server & Claude connector

Does Exa have an official MCP server or Claude connector?

Official

As of October 2026, Exa publishes an official remote MCP server at mcp.exa.ai/mcp, documented on exa.ai and open source under the exa-labs GitHub org. It is listed in Anthropic's connector directory as Anthropic verified. It runs keyless with rate limits, or with OAuth or an API key. Its tools search and fetch the web.

Last checked

Verdict and evidence

What we checked
Exa MCP server
Published by
Exa (official)
Runs
Hosted (remote)
Sign-in
OAuth sign-in
Stage
unknown
Plan
Keyless use is free and rate-limited; OAuth or API key usage is billed to your Exa team.
Endpoint
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

Evidence

What an AI can do in Exa

Read

  • Search the webweb_search_exa
  • Read content from known URLsweb_fetch_exa
  • Advanced search with filters (opt-in)web_search_advanced_exa
  • Get code context for programming questionsget_code_context_exa

Run

  • Multi-step research with structured output (OAuth or API key)agent_run

From the publisher’s documentation for the version we checked. Not every tool is listed.

Setup

Claude (claude.ai / Desktop)

Add the Exa connector: Connectors tab, search for Exa, select +.

Source

Claude Code

Install the Exa plugin.

claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official
Source

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Source

VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json.

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

Safety check

  • Pass

    Publisher verified

    Endpoint and docs on exa.ai; the docs link to github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server (MIT); Claude directory lists 'Made by Exa' as Anthropic verified.

  • Pass

    Auth model

    Three modes: keyless (free, rate-limited), OAuth via mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login, or an API key in the x-api-key header.

  • Pass

    Write and delete access

    Documented tools are search and fetch; none create, update or delete data in your accounts. agent_run starts research tasks that consume paid usage.

  • Pass

    Tool-description injection scan

    Read src/tools/webFetch.ts, agentRun.ts and toolRegistry.ts plus the README tool list; no text aimed at changing the AI's behavior (Jev check 0.06). The docs page itself opens with an 'Agent Instructions' block for coding agents (use the Exa API and SDKs), which was not followed and is not a tool description.

  • Pass

    Repo maintenance

    exa-labs/exa-mcp-server: pushed 2026-10-07, not archived, 5,138 stars.

FAQ

Does Exa have an official MCP server?

Yes. Exa hosts it at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp and documents it at exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp.

Is Exa a Claude connector?

Yes. It is listed in Anthropic's connector directory as Anthropic verified.

Do I need an API key?

No. Keyless use is free and rate-limited. Use OAuth (mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login) or an x-api-key header for team usage.

Which tools does it expose?

Default web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa; opt-in web_search_advanced_exa; agent_run with OAuth or an API key. Pick tools with the tools URL parameter.

Is it read-only?

The documented tools only search and fetch the web; they do not modify your accounts.

Last reviewed .

Get your badge

Work at Exa? Show that your MCP server is independently checked. The badge reflects this page: it updates when we re-check, and it links readers to the evidence.

MCP or Not: Official · Checked Oct 2026

Markdown (README)

[![MCP or Not: Official · Checked Oct 2026](https://mcpornot.com/badge/exa.svg)](https://mcpornot.com/exa)

HTML

<a href="https://mcpornot.com/exa"><img src="https://mcpornot.com/badge/exa.svg" alt="MCP or Not: Official · Checked Oct 2026" height="20"></a>

Compare Exa

Something changed?

Vendors ship MCP updates often. If Exa launched, changed or retired a server, tell us and we will re-check it against primary sources. Submit a correction.

New official MCP servers, weekly

One short email when vendors ship, change or retire an official server or Claude connector. Checked against primary sources, like every verdict here.