---
title: "Exa MCP: setup, tools, pricing and alternatives (2026)"
category: "guides"
url: https://keirolabs.cloud/blog/exa-mcp
---

## The 60-second version

**Exa runs a hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` that gives Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients web search and page fetching.** It works with no API key on a free, rate-limited tier; add your key (or sign in with OAuth) to lift the limits, at which point calls bill against your Exa credits ([Exa's MCP docs](https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp)).

- **Default tools:** `web_search_exa` (search with page content), `web_fetch_exa` (clean content from a URL), and `agent_run` (multi-step research, needs a key or OAuth).
- **Opt-in tool:** `web_search_advanced_exa`, for filters and controls.
- **API key:** an `x-api-key` header on the hosted server, or `EXA_API_KEY` for the local `exa-mcp-server` npm package.
- **Cost with a key:** Exa search is $7 per 1,000 requests including 10 results ([full Exa pricing](/blog/exa-api-pricing-2026)).
- **Getting 429 errors?** You're on the keyless tier. Add a key and reconnect.

## Set up Exa MCP in Claude Code

**Install Exa's plugin, then start a new session:**

```bash
claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official
```

Or add the hosted server directly, with your key in a header:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp \
  --header "x-api-key: $EXA_API_KEY"
```

Run `/mcp` inside Claude Code to confirm the server is connected and see its tools.

## Set up Exa MCP in Cursor

Install from the Cursor marketplace, or add this to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp",
      "headers": { "x-api-key": "YOUR_EXA_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}
```

Leave out `headers` to use the free keyless tier.

## Set up Exa MCP in Claude Desktop

Use the built-in connector (Settings, Connectors, search for Exa). If you prefer the config file, Claude Desktop needs the `mcp-remote` bridge for remote servers. Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS or `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` on Windows:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

## Choose which tools are enabled

**An explicit `tools` list in the URL replaces the defaults**, so include every tool you want:

```text
https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,web_search_advanced_exa,agent_run
```

| Tool | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `web_search_exa` | on | Search the web, returns results with page content |
| `web_fetch_exa` | on | Clean content from known URLs |
| `agent_run` | on with a key or OAuth | Multi-step research with structured output; usage-based |
| `web_search_advanced_exa` | off | Search with advanced filters |

Fewer tools means a shorter tool list in your model's context and fewer wrong tool picks, so enable only what your agent uses.

## What Exa MCP costs

| Mode | Cost |
|---|---|
| Keyless | Free, rate-limited |
| With a key or OAuth | Your Exa plan: search $7 per 1,000 requests with 10 results, $1 per 1,000 for each extra result |
| `agent_run` | Usage-based, needs a key or OAuth |
| New accounts | $20 in credits at signup, plus $10 a month |

An agent can call search several times per task, so watch usage in Exa's dashboard for the first week.

## Common problems

| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| `429 Too Many Requests` | You're on the keyless limits. Add `x-api-key` or sign in with OAuth, then reconnect |
| Tools don't appear | Restart the client or start a new session; check `/mcp` in Claude Code |
| Claude Desktop can't connect to the URL | Use the `mcp-remote` bridge shown above |
| `agent_run` fails | It needs a key or OAuth |
| Agent picks the wrong tool | Trim the `tools` list in the URL |

## Exa MCP alternatives

| MCP server | Hosted URL | Free start | Search price per 1,000 | Notable tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Exa** | `mcp.exa.ai/mcp` | Keyless tier, $20 credits | $7 (10 results) | Semantic search, fetch, research agent |
| **Tavily** | `mcp.tavily.com/mcp/` | 1,000 credits a month | $8 basic, pay as you go | Search, extract, map, crawl ([setup](/blog/tavily-mcp-server)) |
| **[browserfoundry by Keirolabs](https://www.browserfoundry.cloud/?utm_source=keirolabs&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=exa-mcp)** | `api.keirolabs.cloud/mcp/api` | 750 credits at signup | $0.10 lite to $1.33 fast on Essential | Web search, Google SERP, search with page content, extract, cited answers |

**Pick Exa for semantic "find pages like this" search.** Pick a cheaper server when your agent runs plain web searches all day: per-call price matters more for an agent than for a person, because agents search many times per task. Our full roundup is in [the best MCP servers for web search and scraping](/blog/best-mcp-servers-web-search-scraping-2026).

## Set up browserfoundry MCP instead

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http keirolabs https://api.keirolabs.cloud/mcp/api \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $KEIRO_API_KEY"
```

For Cursor, add the same URL with an `Authorization: Bearer` header to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`. Or paste this into your agent and let it install itself:

```text
Fetch https://platform.keirolabs.cloud/agent-onboarding.md and follow the instructions on it to install Keiro MCP
```

The server gives your agent `web_search`, `lite_search`, `google_serp`, `search_and_extract`, `extract_url` and `answer`, among others, all on one key. Setup for Codex and Windsurf is in [the MCP docs](https://docs.keirolabs.cloud/mcp).