Exa MCP bringt Claude Code aktuelle Websuche ohne API-Key

Posted on Oct 15 • Originally published at quickpromptco.com

Ask Claude Code about a library that shipped last month and one of two things happens: it answers from training data that’s already stale, or it searches and comes back with a list of links and snippets it then has to fetch one by one. Either way you spend the next few turns steering it toward the page that actually has the answer.

Exa MCP connects Claude Code to Exa, a search engine built for AI agents. Instead of ten blue links, web_search_exa returns clean page content ready to read, and web_fetch_exa turns any URL into Markdown. It’s a hosted server, so setup is one command, and it works without an API key to start.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Restart Claude Code and run claude mcp list. Total time: about 1 minute. Without a key, Exa’s hosted server allows about 2 requests per second and 50 requests a day per IP; add an API key later if you hit the limit.

Skip the manual steps below and hand the whole job to the agent instead:

You have shell access and the `claude mcp` CLI on this machine. Connect the Exa MCP server to Claude Code and report back. Do not tell me it's done unless step 4 actually confirms it: 1.

Run `claude mcp list`. If an exa entry already exists, show me its URL and stop instead of adding a second one. 2.

Add Exa's hosted server for all projects (no key needed to start): `claude mcp add --transport http --scope user exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp` 3. Run `claude mcp list` and confirm exa shows Connected. 4.

Use `web_search_exa` to find the latest release notes for Claude Code, then use `web_fetch_exa` on the top result and give me 3 bullet points from the page with its URL. If I later want higher limits, tell me to create a key at https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys and re-add the server with an `x-api-key` header. Never ask me to paste the key into this chat, and never put it in the URL.

If any step fails, give me the exact error and the command that produced it. Do not skip ahead. Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode The last step is a real search-then-read test, so you see Exa’s output before trusting it with actual work.

Prefer to do it by hand instead of delegating to the agent? Here’s the manual version.

--scope user makes Exa available in every project:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Prefer plugins? Exa is also in the official Claude plugin marketplace, which adds its search Skills on top of the same tools:

claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Real run, October 2026, no API key: Exa connects straight away on the free tier.

Create a key at dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys, remove the anonymous entry with claude mcp remove exa --scope user, and re-add it with the key as a header:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp \ --header "x-api-key: <your-exa-api-key>" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Exa also accepts the key as a URL parameter, but a header keeps it out of logs and shell history.

By default you get web_search_exa and web_fetch_exa. Add web_search_advanced_exa for domain, date, and highlight filters. The tools parameter replaces the defaults, so list every tool you want:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user exa \ "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_fetch_exa,web_search_advanced_exa" Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Exa turns search results into clean page text Claude Code can actually use.

claude mcp list Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode ✔ exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp (HTTP) – Connected! exa rate limit errors → add an API key (Step 2) ✘ exa Failed to connect → check the URL ends in /mcp and quote it if it has?tools=

Then give Claude a question its training data can’t answer:

Use Exa to find what changed in the latest release of the framework this repo uses, and tell me if any of it affects our code Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode If Claude calls web_search_exa, reads a result, and cites a URL from the last few weeks, it’s working.

You can connect and search without a key, limited to about 2 requests per second and 50 requests a day. Your own key lifts that limit. For heavier use or Exa Agent, create a key in the Exa dashboard and check Exa’s current pricing there.

It does. Exa is an alternative that returns cleaned page content along with results and adds filters and a research agent. Many people keep both and tell Claude when to use Exa.

Yes. Exa supports OAuth. Adding?login to the URL forces the sign-in flow, which you complete with /mcp in Claude Code.

claude mcp remove exa --scope user. If you created an API key, revoke it in the Exa dashboard.

Originally published at quickpromptco.com, where the guide is kept up to date.