{"passport":{"unfragile":{"@version":"1.0","version":"2026-05","artifact":{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","slug":"exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","name":"exa-mcp-server","type":"mcp","url":"https://exa.ai/docs/reference/exa-mcp","page_url":"https://unfragile.ai/exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","categories":["mcp-servers"],"tags":["code-search","codesearch","crawling","mcp","mcp-server","model-context-protocol","web-search","websearch"],"pricing":{"model":"open_source","free":true,"starting_price":null},"status":"active","verified":false},"capabilities":[{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_0","uri":"capability://search.retrieval.semantic.web.search.via.mcp.protocol","name":"semantic web search via mcp protocol","description":"Executes semantic web searches through the Model Context Protocol by translating natural language queries into Exa API calls, returning ranked results with relevance scoring. The server implements MCP's tool-calling interface, allowing AI clients (Claude, VS Code, Cursor) to invoke web_search_exa as a native tool with schema-based parameter validation. Results include URLs, titles, snippets, and metadata without requiring the client to manage API authentication directly.","intents":["I want my AI assistant to search the web in real-time without leaving the conversation","I need to give Claude access to current information beyond its training cutoff","I'm building an agent that needs to research topics and cite sources automatically"],"best_for":["AI application developers integrating real-time search into LLM workflows","Teams building Claude-based research assistants or agents","Developers deploying MCP servers to multiple AI clients (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop)"],"limitations":["Requires valid Exa API key; rate limits depend on Exa subscription tier","Search results are ranked by Exa's semantic relevance algorithm, not customizable per-query","No built-in caching of results — each query hits the Exa API","MCP transport adds ~50-200ms latency depending on deployment (stdio vs HTTP/SSE)"],"requires":["Exa API key (free tier available)","MCP-compatible client (Claude, VS Code with MCP extension, Cursor, or custom MCP client)","Node.js 18+ (for npm package installation) or Docker runtime (for containerized deployment)"],"input_types":["text query string (natural language or structured search syntax)"],"output_types":["JSON array of search results with fields: url, title, snippet, publishedDate, score"],"categories":["search-retrieval","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_1","uri":"capability://data.processing.analysis.full.page.web.content.extraction.and.cleaning","name":"full-page web content extraction and cleaning","description":"Fetches complete HTML content from a given URL and returns cleaned, structured text via the web_fetch_exa tool. The server handles HTML parsing, boilerplate removal (navigation, ads, footers), and text extraction, returning only the main content body. This replaces the deprecated crawling_exa tool and integrates with Exa's content cleaning pipeline, allowing AI clients to retrieve article text, documentation, or page content without managing web scraping complexity.","intents":["I want to extract the full text of a web page to feed into my LLM for analysis","I need to retrieve documentation or article content from a URL without parsing HTML myself","I'm building an agent that should read full pages after finding them via search"],"best_for":["Developers building research agents that need to read full articles or documentation","Teams building RAG systems that fetch and ingest web content","AI applications requiring clean, boilerplate-free text extraction from URLs"],"limitations":["Returns plain text only — no structured HTML or markdown preservation","Content cleaning is Exa-side; no per-request customization of extraction rules","Large pages may be truncated if they exceed response size limits","Requires the URL to be publicly accessible; no authentication support for paywalled content"],"requires":["Exa API key","Valid, publicly accessible URL","MCP-compatible client"],"input_types":["URL string (http or https)"],"output_types":["JSON object with fields: url, title, text (cleaned page content), externalLinks"],"categories":["data-processing-analysis","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_10","uri":"capability://safety.moderation.error.handling.and.graceful.degradation.across.transport.layers","name":"error handling and graceful degradation across transport layers","description":"Implements consistent error handling across stdio, HTTP/SSE, and serverless transports, translating internal errors into MCP-compliant error responses that clients can understand. The server catches API errors, network failures, and validation errors, and returns structured error messages with context. This enables clients to handle failures gracefully without crashing, and provides visibility into what went wrong (e.g., API rate limit, invalid query, network timeout).","intents":["I want my MCP client to handle errors gracefully when the server fails","I need to understand why a tool call failed (rate limit, invalid input, network error)","I'm debugging an MCP integration and need clear error messages"],"best_for":["Developers building robust MCP clients that handle errors","Teams requiring visibility into tool failures and error causes","Organizations deploying MCP servers in production with monitoring"],"limitations":["Error details are limited by MCP protocol; some internal errors may be abstracted","Error handling differs between transport layers (stdio vs HTTP); debugging requires transport-specific knowledge","No built-in retry logic; clients must implement their own retries","Error messages are not localized; all errors are in English"],"requires":["MCP-compatible client that handles error responses","Understanding of MCP error response format"],"input_types":["Tool calls that may fail (invalid parameters, API errors, network issues)"],"output_types":["MCP error responses with error code, message, and optional context"],"categories":["safety-moderation","automation-workflow"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_11","uri":"capability://search.retrieval.search.result.ranking.and.relevance.scoring","name":"search result ranking and relevance scoring","description":"Leverages Exa's semantic search engine to rank results by relevance to the query, returning results ordered by a relevance score. The server does not implement its own ranking; it delegates to Exa's neural search model, which understands semantic meaning and returns results in order of relevance. Clients receive results pre-ranked and can use the score to filter or prioritize results in their workflows.","intents":["I want search results ranked by relevance to my query, not just keyword matches","I need to filter results by relevance score to focus on the most relevant sources","I'm building an agent that should prioritize the most relevant search results"],"best_for":["Developers building search-driven agents that need high-quality results","Teams requiring semantic search rather than keyword matching","Organizations building research tools that prioritize relevance"],"limitations":["Ranking is determined by Exa's model; no per-query customization of ranking algorithm","Relevance score is opaque; no visibility into how Exa calculates scores","Ranking may vary based on Exa's model updates; no version pinning","No option to use alternative ranking algorithms (e.g., recency, popularity)"],"requires":["Exa API key","Understanding that results are ranked by semantic relevance, not keyword matching"],"input_types":["Natural language query string"],"output_types":["Ranked array of search results with relevance scores"],"categories":["search-retrieval"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_12","uri":"capability://automation.workflow.npm.package.distribution.and.local.installation","name":"npm package distribution and local installation","description":"Distributes the exa-mcp-server as an npm package, allowing developers to install it locally via npm install exa-mcp-server and run it as a local MCP server. The package includes pre-built binaries and configuration, enabling quick setup without cloning the repository or building from source. This is the simplest deployment method for local development and testing.","intents":["I want to install the exa-mcp-server locally and use it with Claude Desktop or VS Code","I need a quick way to test the MCP server without building from source","I'm integrating the MCP server into my local development environment"],"best_for":["Individual developers testing MCP servers locally","Teams using Claude Desktop or VS Code with local MCP servers","Developers prototyping MCP integrations quickly"],"limitations":["npm package is Node.js only; no Python or other language support","Local installation requires Node.js 18+ and npm","Package size may be large due to dependencies; installation time varies","Updates require re-running npm install; no automatic updates"],"requires":["Node.js 18+","npm (comes with Node.js)","Exa API key"],"input_types":["npm install command with package name"],"output_types":["Installed npm package with executable and configuration"],"categories":["automation-workflow","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_13","uri":"capability://automation.workflow.docker.containerization.for.portable.deployment","name":"docker containerization for portable deployment","description":"Provides a Dockerfile and Docker configuration enabling the exa-mcp-server to be containerized and deployed in Docker environments, Kubernetes clusters, or any container orchestration platform. The container includes all dependencies and can be deployed with a single docker run command, making it portable across different infrastructure environments. This is ideal for teams deploying MCP servers in containerized environments.","intents":["I want to deploy the MCP server in a Docker container for portability","I need to run the MCP server in Kubernetes or a container orchestration platform","I'm deploying to a cloud platform that supports Docker containers"],"best_for":["Teams deploying MCP servers in containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes)","Organizations using container orchestration platforms (ECS, GKE, AKS)","Developers requiring portable, reproducible deployments across environments"],"limitations":["Requires Docker runtime; adds infrastructure complexity vs local installation","Container image size may be large; pulling and starting containers takes time","Networking and port configuration required; not as simple as local stdio","Debugging containerized servers requires container-specific tools and knowledge"],"requires":["Docker runtime installed","Docker image built or pulled from registry","Environment variables for API keys and configuration passed to container"],"input_types":["docker run command with environment variables and port mappings"],"output_types":["Running Docker container exposing MCP server on specified port"],"categories":["automation-workflow","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_2","uri":"capability://search.retrieval.advanced.web.search.with.granular.filtering.and.domain.control","name":"advanced web search with granular filtering and domain control","description":"Provides fine-grained control over web search parameters through the web_search_advanced_exa tool, allowing clients to filter by domain whitelist/blacklist, publication date ranges, content categories, and other metadata. The server translates these filter parameters into Exa API query options, enabling researchers and agents to narrow search scope without post-processing results. This is an opt-in tool for power users who need more control than the basic semantic search.","intents":["I want to search only within specific domains (e.g., academic papers, news sites, GitHub)","I need to find recent content published within the last week or month","I'm building a research agent that should filter by content type (news, academic, blogs)"],"best_for":["Researchers and analysts building specialized search agents with domain constraints","Teams building vertical search tools (academic search, news aggregation, code search)","Developers needing temporal filtering (recent news, trending topics)"],"limitations":["Requires knowledge of filter parameter syntax; more complex than basic web_search_exa","Domain filtering is whitelist/blacklist only — no regex or pattern matching","Category filtering depends on Exa's predefined categories; custom categories not supported","Date filtering is approximate; exact publication dates may vary by source"],"requires":["Exa API key","MCP-compatible client","Understanding of filter parameter options (domains, dates, categories)"],"input_types":["text query string","optional filter object with fields: includeDomains (array), excludeDomains (array), startPublishedDate (ISO string), endPublishedDate (ISO string), category (string)"],"output_types":["JSON array of filtered search results with same structure as web_search_exa"],"categories":["search-retrieval","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_3","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.mcp.protocol.server.implementation.with.multi.transport.deployment","name":"mcp protocol server implementation with multi-transport deployment","description":"Implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as a standardized server that can be deployed across multiple transport layers (stdio for local, HTTP/SSE for hosted, serverless for Vercel) from a single codebase. The server uses the McpServer class to register tools, handle tool invocation requests, and manage the MCP lifecycle. This architecture allows the same tool definitions and logic to work across Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, and custom MCP clients without modification.","intents":["I want to deploy a single MCP server that works with Claude, VS Code, and Cursor","I need to host an MCP server as a serverless function or Docker container","I'm building an MCP client and need a reference implementation of the protocol"],"best_for":["Developers building MCP servers for multiple AI clients","Teams deploying AI tools across Claude, VS Code, and Cursor ecosystems","Organizations needing serverless or containerized MCP deployments"],"limitations":["Requires understanding of MCP protocol and tool schema definitions","Deployment configuration varies by transport (stdio vs HTTP vs serverless); no unified config","MCP clients must support the protocol version implemented by the server","Error handling and logging differ between transport layers (stdio vs HTTP)"],"requires":["Node.js 18+ (for npm package or local deployment)","Docker runtime (for containerized deployment) or Vercel account (for serverless)","MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, VS Code with MCP extension, Cursor, or custom)"],"input_types":["MCP protocol messages (tool calls with parameters)"],"output_types":["MCP protocol responses (tool results, errors, metadata)"],"categories":["tool-use-integration","automation-workflow"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_4","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.tool.schema.validation.and.type.safe.parameter.handling","name":"tool schema validation and type-safe parameter handling","description":"Defines and validates tool parameters using JSON Schema, ensuring type safety and preventing invalid requests from reaching the Exa API. The server uses src/types.ts to define data contracts for API requests and responses, and the MCP protocol enforces schema validation at the client level before tool invocation. This prevents malformed queries and provides clear error messages to clients when parameters don't match the schema.","intents":["I want type-safe tool invocation without worrying about invalid parameters","I need clear error messages when I pass wrong parameter types to a tool","I'm building an MCP client and need to understand what parameters each tool accepts"],"best_for":["Developers building MCP clients that need to validate parameters before sending","Teams requiring strict type safety in AI tool integrations","Organizations building internal tools that must prevent invalid API calls"],"limitations":["Schema validation is enforced by MCP clients; server-side validation is secondary","Custom validation logic beyond JSON Schema is not exposed in tool definitions","Schema changes require server updates and client re-registration"],"requires":["MCP-compatible client that enforces schema validation","Understanding of JSON Schema format"],"input_types":["JSON objects matching tool schema definitions"],"output_types":["Validation errors (if schema mismatch) or tool results (if valid)"],"categories":["tool-use-integration","safety-moderation"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_5","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.dynamic.tool.registration.and.configuration.management","name":"dynamic tool registration and configuration management","description":"Allows runtime selection of which tools to expose through the initializeMcpServer function, which reads configuration and registers only the specified tools with the McpServer instance. The server supports enabling/disabling tools via environment variables or configuration files, enabling different deployments to expose different tool sets without code changes. This is particularly useful for managing deprecated tools (crawling_exa) alongside newer ones (web_fetch_exa).","intents":["I want to deploy different tool sets to different environments (dev, staging, prod)","I need to gradually migrate from deprecated tools to new ones without breaking clients","I'm managing multiple MCP servers and want to control which tools each exposes"],"best_for":["Teams managing multiple MCP server deployments with different tool sets","Organizations performing gradual tool migrations or deprecations","Developers building configurable MCP servers for different use cases"],"limitations":["Configuration is static at server startup; no runtime tool registration changes","Tool availability is binary (enabled/disabled); no per-client tool filtering","Configuration format and options are Exa-specific; not a general MCP feature"],"requires":["Environment variables or configuration file (format depends on deployment method)","Server restart to apply configuration changes"],"input_types":["Configuration object or environment variables specifying enabled tools"],"output_types":["MCP server with registered tools matching configuration"],"categories":["tool-use-integration","automation-workflow"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_6","uri":"capability://tool.use.integration.multi.client.mcp.integration.with.protocol.normalization","name":"multi-client mcp integration with protocol normalization","description":"Abstracts MCP protocol details to provide a unified interface that works across Claude, VS Code, Cursor, and custom MCP clients. The server implements the MCP specification, handling client-specific quirks and protocol variations transparently. Clients connect via stdio (local), HTTP/SSE (hosted), or other transports, and the server normalizes requests and responses to ensure consistent behavior across all clients.","intents":["I want my MCP server to work with Claude, VS Code, and Cursor without special handling","I need to support multiple client types without duplicating tool logic","I'm building an MCP client and need to understand the protocol contract"],"best_for":["Developers building MCP servers for broad client compatibility","Teams deploying tools across multiple AI platforms (Claude, VS Code, Cursor)","Organizations building internal MCP ecosystems with diverse clients"],"limitations":["Protocol normalization adds complexity; some client-specific features may not be exposed","MCP version compatibility depends on client support; older clients may not work with newer servers","Error handling and logging differ between clients; debugging requires client-specific knowledge"],"requires":["MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, VS Code with MCP extension, Cursor, or custom)","Understanding of MCP protocol basics"],"input_types":["MCP protocol messages from any compatible client"],"output_types":["MCP protocol responses normalized for the client"],"categories":["tool-use-integration","automation-workflow"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_7","uri":"capability://automation.workflow.serverless.and.containerized.deployment.with.http.sse.transport","name":"serverless and containerized deployment with http/sse transport","description":"Supports deployment as a Vercel serverless function (api/mcp.ts) or Docker container with HTTP/SSE transport, enabling hosted MCP server deployments without managing long-running processes. The server exposes an HTTP endpoint that clients can connect to via SSE (Server-Sent Events), allowing remote access to tools. This complements the stdio transport for local deployments, providing a unified codebase that works across local and hosted scenarios.","intents":["I want to host an MCP server as a serverless function without managing infrastructure","I need to expose my MCP server over the internet for remote clients","I'm deploying to Vercel or Docker and want a single codebase for all environments"],"best_for":["Teams deploying MCP servers to Vercel, AWS Lambda, or other serverless platforms","Organizations running MCP servers in Docker containers or Kubernetes","Developers building multi-tenant MCP services with remote access"],"limitations":["Serverless deployments have cold start latency (~1-3 seconds for Vercel)","HTTP/SSE transport adds ~50-200ms latency vs stdio for local clients","Serverless functions have execution time limits (Vercel: 60s for hobby tier, 900s for pro)","State is not persisted across function invocations; each request is stateless"],"requires":["Vercel account (for serverless) or Docker runtime (for containers)","HTTP/SSE-compatible MCP client","Environment variables for API keys and configuration"],"input_types":["HTTP POST requests with MCP protocol messages"],"output_types":["HTTP responses with MCP protocol messages (or SSE stream for long-lived connections)"],"categories":["automation-workflow","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_8","uri":"capability://planning.reasoning.research.orchestration.and.agent.skill.composition","name":"research orchestration and agent skill composition","description":"Provides a research orchestrator pattern (documented in SKILL.md) that allows agents to compose multiple search and fetch operations into multi-step research workflows. The server enables agents to chain web_search_exa → web_fetch_exa operations, using search results to inform subsequent fetches, and supports more complex research patterns like comparing multiple sources or synthesizing information across pages. This is implemented through the MCP tool interface, allowing any MCP client to orchestrate research workflows.","intents":["I want my agent to search for a topic, then read full articles from the top results","I need to build a research workflow that compares information across multiple sources","I'm creating an agent that should synthesize information from web searches and full-page reads"],"best_for":["Developers building research agents and AI assistants","Teams creating multi-step information gathering workflows","Organizations building knowledge synthesis tools powered by web research"],"limitations":["Orchestration logic is client-side; the server provides only individual tools","No built-in workflow persistence or state management across tool calls","Research workflows are limited by MCP client capabilities and LLM reasoning","No built-in caching of search results or fetched pages across workflow steps"],"requires":["MCP-compatible client with multi-step tool calling capability","LLM or agent framework capable of orchestrating tool sequences","Understanding of research workflow patterns (documented in SKILL.md)"],"input_types":["Sequence of MCP tool calls (web_search_exa followed by web_fetch_exa)"],"output_types":["Aggregated results from multiple tool calls (search results + full-page content)"],"categories":["planning-reasoning","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0},{"id":"github-exa-labs--exa-mcp-server__cap_9","uri":"capability://safety.moderation.api.key.management.and.authentication.abstraction","name":"api key management and authentication abstraction","description":"Abstracts Exa API authentication by accepting an API key at server initialization and managing all downstream API calls transparently. Clients do not need to provide or manage API keys; they simply invoke tools through MCP, and the server handles authentication with the Exa API. This pattern supports multiple authentication methods (environment variables, configuration files, Smithery config) depending on deployment method, centralizing credential management.","intents":["I want to provide my MCP clients access to Exa search without exposing my API key","I need to manage API keys centrally for multiple deployments","I'm deploying an MCP server and want to handle authentication securely"],"best_for":["Teams deploying MCP servers with centralized API key management","Organizations requiring secure credential handling in multi-client environments","Developers building MCP servers that abstract backend API authentication"],"limitations":["API key must be provided at server startup; no runtime key rotation","All clients share the same API key and quota; no per-client rate limiting","Key is stored in memory; no encryption at rest","No audit logging of which client made which API calls"],"requires":["Valid Exa API key (free tier available at exa.ai)","Secure method of providing key to server (environment variable, config file, or Smithery config)"],"input_types":["API key string (provided at server initialization, not per-request)"],"output_types":["Authenticated API calls to Exa (transparent to MCP clients)"],"categories":["safety-moderation","tool-use-integration"],"confidence":0.5,"matches":0,"success_rate":0}],"trust":{"score":47,"verified":false,"data_access_risk":"high","permissions":["Exa API key (free tier available)","MCP-compatible client (Claude, VS Code with MCP extension, Cursor, or custom MCP client)","Node.js 18+ (for npm package installation) or Docker runtime (for containerized deployment)","Exa API key","Valid, publicly accessible URL","MCP-compatible client","MCP-compatible client that handles error responses","Understanding of MCP error response format","Understanding that results are ranked by semantic relevance, not keyword matching","Node.js 18+"],"failure_modes":["Requires valid Exa API key; rate limits depend on Exa subscription tier","Search results are ranked by Exa's semantic relevance algorithm, not customizable per-query","No built-in caching of results — each query hits the Exa API","MCP transport adds ~50-200ms latency depending on deployment (stdio vs HTTP/SSE)","Returns plain text only — no structured HTML or markdown preservation","Content cleaning is Exa-side; no per-request customization of extraction rules","Large pages may be truncated if they exceed response size limits","Requires the URL to be publicly accessible; no authentication support for paywalled content","Error details are limited by MCP protocol; some internal errors may be abstracted","Error handling differs between transport layers (stdio vs HTTP); debugging requires transport-specific knowledge","builder identity is not verified yet","no observed match outcomes yet"],"rank_breakdown":{"adoption":0.5659273810277619,"quality":0.35,"ecosystem":0.6000000000000001,"match_graph":0.25,"freshness":0.75,"weights":{"adoption":0.25,"quality":0.25,"ecosystem":0.15,"match_graph":0.23,"freshness":0.12}},"observed_outcomes":{"matches":0,"success_rate":0,"avg_confidence":0,"top_intents":[],"last_matched_at":null},"maintenance":{"status":"active","updated_at":"2026-05-24T12:16:21.550Z","last_scraped_at":"2026-05-03T13:56:59.048Z","last_commit":"2026-05-01T19:53:39Z"},"community":{"stars":4371,"forks":327,"weekly_downloads":null,"model_downloads":null,"model_likes":null}},"distribution":{"claim_url":"https://unfragile.ai/submit?claim=exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","compare_url":"https://unfragile.ai/compare?artifact=exa-labs--exa-mcp-server"}},"signature":"ek+Tnt//IFVCkErtjFLgmLC167PqV8KQ2Pbg8IaHf7rpDtaT0d5pt4d76RBCp6ndU/Ff45U2CdzkK59LeOzCBA==","signedAt":"2026-06-20T16:27:49.371Z","signedBy":"unfragile.ai","version":1},"_links":{"self":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/passport/exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","artifact":"https://unfragile.ai/exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","verify":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/verify?slug=exa-labs--exa-mcp-server","publicKey":"https://unfragile.ai/api/v1/trust-passport-public-key","spec":"https://unfragile.ai/trust","schema":"https://unfragile.ai/schema.json","docs":"https://unfragile.ai/docs"}}