Exa MCP: what works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and Grok Bot
Exa remote MCP server: web search and page fetching for agents. Usable without an API key.
Registry name: ai.exa/exa (v3.4.1) | GitHub stars
Set it up
URL https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. No sign-in. Paste the URL and it connects. Copy-paste setup: Claude | Claude Code | Cursor | VS Code | ChatGPT
Status grid
| App | Status | Date tested |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Untested | Not yet tested |
| ChatGPT | Untested | Not yet tested |
| Cursor | Untested | Not yet tested |
| Grok Bot | Untested | Not yet tested |
| MCP Inspector (reference client) | Untested | Not yet tested |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | Works | Fri Oct 16 2026 |
Hands-on test results
| App | Task | Result | Time | Detail | Date tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | connect (no auth) | Works | 398 ms | Connected without sign-in. 2 tools listed in 165 ms. | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | web search (MCP Streamable HTTP spec) | Works | 983 ms | web_search_exa: about 34 KB returned. "Title: N/A URL: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/draft/basic/transports/streamable-http Published: N/A Author: N/A Highlights: " | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | fetch a page (MCP transports spec) | Works | 137 ms | web_fetch_exa: about 3 KB returned. "# Transports - Model Context Protocol URL: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-11-25/basic/transports Transports - Model Cont" | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | search with nonsense query | Partial | 1295 ms | web_search_exa: about 9 KB returned. "Title: Some Incredible Code URL: https://cephalochromoscope.net/334fa935-b345-4427-a219-fb7ce5cab719 Published: N/A Author: N/A Highlights: " | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | fetch a missing page | Works | 810 ms | web_fetch_exa: tool error, 96 characters returned. "Error fetching URL(s): https://connectorreport.com/this-page-does-not-exist-938: CRAWL_NOT_FOUND" | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
| MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client) | error handling (number as query) | Partial | 1271 ms | web_search_exa: about 26 KB returned. "Title: 42 URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42 Published: 2026-10-06T22:22:21.000Z Author: N/A Highlights: 42 or The 42 most commonly refer" | Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT |
Oct 16, 2026, 3:43 PM CT, MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client): Scripted client using the official MCP TypeScript SDK v1.32.1 against https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp (Streamable HTTP, protocol 2025-11-25). No sign-in or API key needed. Server exa-search-server v3.5.0. Read-only server, so no create task. 3 of 5 tasks passed.
Automated handshake
Works HTTP 200, 306 ms, checked Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:06:30 GMT
Gotchas
- MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client): Results are large (about 35 KB for 5 results). Lower numResults to save context.
- MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client): A nonsense query still returns unrelated results instead of an empty set, so agents cannot tell "nothing found" from a weak match.
- MCP TypeScript SDK (reference client): A number passed as the query was accepted and searched (it returned the Wikipedia page for 42) instead of failing validation. The required objective field was not enforced either.
Errors and fixes
- MCP tool results too large: context window blown by one call
- MCP search returns results for nonsense queries
- MCP server accepts calls missing a required field
FAQ
Does the Exa MCP server work?
In our hands-on test on Oct 16, 2026, 4 of 6 tasks passed. Main gotcha: Results are large (about 35 KB for 5 results). Lower numResults to save context.
What is the Exa MCP server URL?
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp (Streamable HTTP).
Does the Exa MCP server need sign-in?
No sign-in. Paste the URL and it connects.
How do I add the Exa MCP server to Claude, Cursor, VS Code or ChatGPT?
Follow our copy-paste setup guides: https://connectorreport.com/c/ai-exa-exa/setup/claude https://connectorreport.com/c/ai-exa-exa/setup/claude-code https://connectorreport.com/c/ai-exa-exa/setup/cursor https://connectorreport.com/c/ai-exa-exa/setup/vscode https://connectorreport.com/c/ai-exa-exa/setup/chatgpt
What errors does the Exa MCP server give?
MCP tool results too large: context window blown by one call. MCP search returns results for nonsense queries. MCP server accepts calls missing a required field.
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