Exa MCP server for Claude, Codex and Cursor

What your AI apps can do with Exa

• Search the web
• Fetch clean page content

Exa MCP tools

2 tools, 1 resource and 1 prompt, listed by Toolstile from the server itself on 29 October 2026. The server decides what it offers and can add or rename tools at any time; after you connect, Toolstile shows the current list.

Exa MCP resources

Exa MCP prompts

• web_search_help: Get help with web search using Exa

Suggested access for each AI app

• 2 tools marked read-only (web_search_exa, web_fetch_exa). These are usually safe to allow.

These are hints the server reports about its own tools, not guarantees.

Coding agent in Claude Code or Cursor. Allow the read tools so the agent can look things up without stopping, and require approval for tools that change shared data.

Chat or research app in Claude Desktop. Allow reading and searching. Allow writes only where you want the app to act for you.

Unattended agent, such as a scheduled Codex job. No one is watching the session, so keep it narrow: allow what the job needs, require approval for changes and block the rest.

Blocked tools are removed from the tool list an app sees, so it won't try them. Because rules apply per app, the same Exa connection can be broad in one app and read-only in another, and the credential stays in Toolstile instead of each app's config file.

How it works with Toolstile

1. Connect once. Add Exa to a workspace (no sign-in). Toolstile keeps the credential, so no agent config holds it.
2. Choose access per app. Give Claude Code every Exa tool, give Cursor only the read tools, or keep Exa away from an app entirely.
3. Share approved accounts. Teammates use the connection without copying tokens, and you can remove access in one place.
4. Review activity. See which app called which tool and when, so you can tighten access with evidence.

Add the Exa MCP server to an AI app

Through Toolstile, every AI app uses one gateway entry, whichever servers you connect. In Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http toolstile 'https://toolstile.com/mcp'

Then connect Exa in your workspace and choose which of its tools that app may use. Client setup covers Codex, Cursor and Claude Desktop.

To connect directly instead, add the Exa endpoint to each app separately. In Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http exa 'https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp'

In Cursor's mcp.json:

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

Some servers accept only clients they have approved, or need a token header. Check the Exa MCP documentation for what your client needs.

Before you connect

No account needed. Anonymous use is rate limited by Exa.

Server details

Exa MCP documentation