How to Use the Exa AI MCP in Cursor

Pull live, semantic web context and clean documentation directly into Cursor while you write code.

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Connect Exa AI MCP to Cursor

Create your Vinkius account to connect Exa AI to Cursor and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup Exa AI with Cursor

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Live documentation search inside Cursor

Stop writing code against outdated API specs or guessing how a library works based on old training data. This MCP Server lets your agent pull live, semantic search results directly into your active coding session. By invoking `search_web`, Cursor searches the live web for the exact library versions you need. Your editor reads the actual, current documentation instead of hallucinating functions that do not exist.

Find similar packages without leaving Cursor

When an open-source library goes stale, finding a drop-in replacement is a chore. You can hand the dead project's URL to your editor and let it find active alternatives instantly. The `find_similar` tool scans the web for projects with matching architectures and purposes. It outputs a clean list of candidate URLs, which you can then pass to `get_search_links` to grab the best documentation links.

Get clean web content via this MCP Server

Raw HTML is useless inside a code editor and quickly destroys your context window. This tool strips out the trackers, ads, and navigation menus to deliver only the code blocks and text you need. Your agent runs `get_contents` to fetch clean text from specific Exa page IDs. If you want to search and extract in one go, `search_with_contents` injects the code examples straight into your workspace.

Setup guide

Set up Exa AI MCP in Cursor

Prerequisites

Cursor installed (macOS, Windows, or Linux)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP Settings

Go to Cursor Settings → MCP or open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for "MCP: Add Server".
2

Add the Exa AI MCP

Cursor will create or open .cursor/mcp.json in your project root. Paste the JSON snippet on the right. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Enable Agent mode

Open Composer (Cmd+I / Ctrl+I) and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown at the top. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode.
4

Verify the connection

Ask Cursor something like "List my recent Exa AI transactions." If the MCP tools are loaded correctly, Cursor will call the Exa AI tools automatically. You can also check Settings → MCP for a green status indicator.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-ai-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Exa AI. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about Exa AI MCP in Cursor

Exa AI feeds live semantic search results directly to your editor's agent mode. When you write code, Cursor calls `search_web` to pull the latest API documentation instead of relying on outdated training data.

Yes, you can retrieve both the search links and the cleaned page contents in a single step. The `search_with_contents` tool lets Cursor read the actual code examples from the web without making separate API requests.

You can query your usage statistics directly from the editor console. Running `get_api_usage` displays your current crawl metrics and API credit consumption in real time.

Create a local configuration file in your project root and define the MCP server settings there. Cursor automatically loads these tools when you open the workspace, keeping the configuration isolated to your project.

Only the specific search queries and URL inputs you explicitly send are processed by Exa. Your local source files and private code blocks never touch the external search API or leave your local machine.

Use it with your favorite AI tools

Connect this server to Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and more.

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