Exa MCP

🚀 Using the Exa MCP Server 🔍

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables AI assistants like Claude to leverage Exa's powerful web search API, allowing real - time access to internet information in a secure and controlled environment.

Demo Video: https://www.loom.com/share/ac676f29664e4c6cb33a2f0a6377

🚀 Quick Start

The Exa MCP server provides a way for AI assistants to access web search capabilities. Here's a quick overview of how it works:

1. Prerequisites: Make sure you have Node.js, Claude Desktop installed, and an Exa API key.
2. Installation: Install the server using npm, Smithery, or manually.
3. Configuration: Configure Claude Desktop and set the API key.
4. Usage: Start making search requests.

✨ Features

• Web Search Tool: Allows Claude to perform web searches using natural language queries.
• Error Handling: Gracefully handles API errors and rate limits.
• Type Safety: Fully implemented in TypeScript with comprehensive type checking.

📦 Installation

Prerequisites 🛠️

Before installing the Exa MCP server, ensure the following:

1. Install Node.js (version 14 or higher is recommended).
2. Install Claude Desktop.
3. Obtain a valid Exa API key.

Method 1: Using npm

npm install -g exa-mcp-server

Method 2: Using Smithery

smithery install exa

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/exa-mcp/exa-mcp-server.git
   cd exa-mcp-server
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Build the project (optional):

   npm run build
   

📚 Documentation

Configuration ⚙️

Step 1: Configure Claude Desktop

Edit the claudia.json file and add the following content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exaMCP": {
      "type": "custom",
      "class": "ExaMCPHandler",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000"
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Set the API Key

Add the following to the env file:

EXA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Usage 💻

1. Initiate a Search Request:

   claudia exaMCP --query "What is quantum computing?"
   

2. Server Processing:
   • Analyze the query.
   • Call the Exa API to get results.
   • Return the formatted results.
3. Caching Mechanism: Supports caching of search results to improve the speed of subsequent queries.

Troubleshooting 🔧

1. Server Not Found

• Ensure that the npm link is correctly configured.
• Check the syntax of the Claude Desktop configuration file.
• Confirm that Node.js is correctly installed.

2. API Key Issues

• Verify the validity of the Exa API key.
• Ensure that the key is correctly set in the env file.
• Check for spaces or quotes in the key.

3. Connection Issues

• Completely restart Claude Desktop.
• View the logs:

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

Getting Help 🤔

If you encounter problems, refer to the MCP Documentation.

Acknowledgments 🙏

• Exa AI: Thanks for its powerful search API.
• Model Context Protocol: Thanks to the creators of the MCP specification.
• Anthropic: Thanks to the development team of Claude Desktop.