Exa MCP
AI-native web search and clean page fetching, free to start without an API key.
Officialby ExaHosted or on your computerChecked October 18, 2026
Exa is a search engine built for AI, and its official MCP server lets Claude run web searches and read the resulting pages as clean text. It works without a key at free rate limits, and signing in or adding an API key brings higher limits plus Exa's agent for multi-step research.
Who it is for
- Researchers and writers
- Sales teams building prospect lists
- Developers looking up current documentation
Prompts to try
Once it is connected, ask in plain words. Claude decides when to use the server and asks before it changes anything important.
Find five recent blog posts comparing vector databases and summarize what each one recommends.Search for startups building AI tools for dental clinics and list them with their websites.Read this article and give me its three main arguments.How to connect it
In Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
In the Claude desktop app
Customize > Connectors > Discover: search Exa, then select Connect to Claude
Hosted address: https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
Good to know
Works keyless at free rate limits; https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login forces the sign-in, and a tools= URL parameter switches on optional tools.
Unlock the setup steps
Free. Leave your email once to open the setup steps for all 150 servers, and get the best new connectors each month.
How we checked it
Checked the GitHub repo (MIT, last commit 2026-10-07), Exa's MCP docs, the exa-mcp-server npm package, the registry entry ai.exa/exa and the Claude connectors listing; the hosted endpoint lists its tools without a key.
Source: exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp