Connect Exa to Andromity with the Exa MCP server

Exa hosts an official MCP server at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp. With it, Andromity can search the web, read the content of known URLs, and run longer research tasks, for example to check current library docs or find examples of an API.

Exa documents three modes: keyless free use with rate limits, OAuth sign-in, and an API key sent in the x-api-key header. Andromity connects with OAuth, so usage counts against your Exa team.

What the agent can do with Exa

• Search the web (web_search_exa).
• Read content from known URLs (web_fetch_exa).
• Search with advanced filters and controls; this tool is opt-in (web_search_advanced_exa).
• Run multi-step research; available with OAuth or an API key (agent_run).

Example prompts

Ask for the work in plain language. Naming the server helps, for example “use the Exa MCP server”.

• Search the web for the migration guide from this library's v3 to v4, then update our usage in src/api accordingly.
• Fetch the changelog at this URL and tell me which breaking changes affect this repo.
• Research how other projects handle idempotency keys for webhooks, then propose a change to our handler.
• Find the current docs for this error message and fix the failing test.

Connect Exa

1. In VS Code, open Andromity Hub → MCP Servers → Discover. In the terminal app, open /settings → MCP → + Connect an app. Find Exa and select Connect.
2. Sign in to Exa in your browser and approve access.
3. Andromity saves Exa to ~/.andromity/mcp.json and connects it.

See Connect an app for how Andromity stores connectors and tokens.

Access and safety

• With OAuth, requests use your Exa team's plan. agent_run is billed, which is why Exa requires OAuth or an API key for it.
• Exa lets you choose tools with a tools parameter on the URL. An explicit list replaces the defaults, so include every tool you want. To use it, add the server by hand in mcp.json with that URL and sign in from its card.
• Andromity's permission modes apply to every Exa tool call.

In an untrusted folder, MCP servers don’t start at all. Read workspace trust and permission modes for the full model.

Limits to know

• Keyless use is rate limited, and a 429 error means you reached the limit. OAuth or an API key uses your team's plan instead.
• Long research runs can return status running with an id, which can be resumed with runId.
• web_search_advanced_exa is off by default.

Questions

Does Exa have an official MCP server?

Yes. Exa hosts it at https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp and documents it in its own docs.

Do I need an Exa API key?

Not for Andromity, which signs in with OAuth. Exa also offers keyless free use with rate limits and an x-api-key header for clients without OAuth.

Is there a free tier?

Exa documents free, rate-limited keyless use with no sign-in. It does not publish the limits on that page.

Sources

This guide is based on Exa’s own documentation. The app controls its server, so tools can change; check the source for the current list.

• Exa MCP reference

Exa is a trademark of its owner. Andromity is not affiliated with or endorsed by Exa.