Question 1

What is the Exa MCP Server?

Accepted Answer

The Exa MCP Server is a server that allows AI assistants like Claude to use the Exa AI Search API for web searches, providing real-time information in a safe and controlled way.

Question 2

What is MCP?

Accepted Answer

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to LLMs. It acts as a bridge, allowing AI models to access and interact with external data sources and tools.

Question 3

What are the prerequisites for installing the Exa MCP Server?

Accepted Answer

You need an Exa API key, Node.js (v18 or higher), and Claude Desktop installed.

Question 4

How do I install the Exa MCP Server?

Accepted Answer

You can install it using NPM (`npm install -g exa-mcp-server`) or via Smithery (`npx -y @smithery/cli install exa --client claude`).

Question 5

How do I configure Claude Desktop to recognize the Exa MCP Server?

Accepted Answer

You need to modify the `claude_desktop_config.json` file in the Claude Desktop settings to include the Exa server configuration.

Question 6

Where can I find the `claude_desktop_config.json` file?

Accepted Answer

On macOS, it's located at `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`. On Windows, it's at `%APPDATA%Claudeclaude_desktop_config.json`.

Question 7

How do I get an Exa API key?

Accepted Answer

You can get an Exa API key from [dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys](https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys).

Question 8

What tools are available in the Exa MCP Server?

Accepted Answer

Available tools include `web_search_exa`, `research_paper_search`, `company_research`, `crawling`, `competitor_finder`, `linkedin_search`, `wikipedia_search_exa`, and `github_search`.

Question 9

How do I enable specific tools?

Accepted Answer

You can enable specific tools by adding the `--tools` parameter to the Claude Desktop configuration, like this: `--tools=web_search_exa,research_paper_search`.

Question 10

What happens if I don't specify any tools?

Accepted Answer

If you don't specify any tools, all available tools will be enabled by default.

Question 11

How do I restart Claude Desktop?

Accepted Answer

Completely quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window) and then start it again.

Question 12

How can I verify that the Exa server is connected?

Accepted Answer

Look for the 🔌 icon in the Claude Desktop interface.

Question 13

What should I do if the server is not found?

Accepted Answer

Verify the npm link is correctly set up, check the Claude Desktop configuration syntax, and ensure Node.js is properly installed.

Question 14

What should I do if I have API key issues?

Accepted Answer

Confirm your EXA_API_KEY is valid, check the EXA_API_KEY is correctly set in the Claude Desktop config, and verify there are no spaces or quotes around the API key.

Question 15

Where can I find Claude Desktop logs?

Accepted Answer

On macOS, logs are located at `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log`. On Windows, they are at `%APPDATA%Claudelogsmcp*.log`.

Question 16

What is the minimum required version of Node.js?

Accepted Answer

Node.js should be version 18 or higher.

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