How do I find my Exa API Key?

Log in to your [**Exa.ai dashboard**](https://dashboard.exa.ai/), and you will find your API Key on the API Keys page. Copy and paste it below.

What makes Exa search 'semantic'?

Exa uses neural embeddings to understand the meaning behind your query, allowing it to find results that are contextually related even if they don't share exact keywords.

Can the agent find sites similar to a blog post?

Yes. Use the `find_similar` tool providing the URL of the blog post. Your agent will return a list of sources with similar topics or writing styles instantly.

Exa AI MCP Server for Cursor 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Exa AI
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

docs.cursor.com/context/model-context-protocol

Built by Vinkius GDPR 6 Tools IDE

Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code that integrates LLM-powered coding assistance directly into the development workflow. Its Agent mode enables autonomous multi-step coding tasks, and MCP support lets agents access external data sources and APIs during code generation.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

RecommendedModern Approach — Zero Configuration

Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Exa AI and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

Download Free Open SourceNo signup required

Classic Setup·json

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

Fully ManagedVinkius Servers

60%Token savings

High SecurityEnterprise-grade

IAMAccess control

EU AI ActCompliant

DLPData protection

V8 IsolateSandboxed

Ed25519Audit chain

<40msKill switch

Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Exa AI MCP Server

Empower your AI agent to orchestrate your entire web discovery and semantic search workflow with Exa AI, the search engine built for the future of AI. By connecting Exa to your agent, you transform complex information gathering into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly search the web using semantic embeddings, audit similar websites through URL matching, and retrieve cleaned page content without you ever touching a browser. Whether you are conducting deep market research or monitoring niche industry trends, your agent acts as a real-time web analyst, ensuring your intelligence is always grounded in contextually relevant data.

Cursor's Agent mode turns Exa AI into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from Exa AI and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 6 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.

What you can do

Semantic Auditing — Query the web using natural language and retrieve results based on meaning rather than just keywords.
Similar Discovery — Find websites similar to any provided URL to identify competitors or related sources instantly.
Content Oversight — Retrieve cleaned HTML or text content for any search result to maintain a structured view of web data.
Usage Intelligence — Monitor your API usage and crawl statistics to maintain strict control over your research budget.
Unified Search — Perform search and content retrieval in a single request to optimize agent response times.

The Exa AI MCP Server exposes 6 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Cursor in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Exa AI to Cursor via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Exa AI MCP Server with Cursor.

Open MCP Settings

Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens

Save the file

Cursor will automatically detect the new MCP server

Start using Exa AI

Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using Exa AI, help me...". 6 tools available

Why Use Cursor with the Exa AI MCP Server

Cursor AI Code Editor provides unique advantages when paired with Exa AI through the Model Context Protocol.

Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context

Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards

MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment

VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools

Exa AI + Cursor Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Cursor combined with the Exa AI MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Code generation with live data: ask Cursor to generate a security report module using live DNS and subdomain data fetched through MCP

Automated documentation: have Cursor query your API's tool schemas and generate TypeScript interfaces or OpenAPI specs automatically

Infrastructure-as-code: Cursor can fetch domain configurations and generate corresponding Terraform or CloudFormation templates

Test scaffolding: ask Cursor to pull real API responses via MCP and generate unit test fixtures from actual data

Exa AI MCP Tools for Cursor (6)

These 6 tools become available when you connect Exa AI to Cursor via MCP:

find_similar

Find websites similar to a given URL

get_api_usage

Get current API usage and crawl statistics

get_contents

Get cleaned HTML/text content for specific Exa IDs

get_search_links

Get just the top links for a search query

search_web

Search the web semantically using Exa

search_with_contents

Search and retrieve contents in one request

Example Prompts for Exa AI in Cursor

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Cursor agent to start working with Exa AI immediately.

"Find 5 high-quality research papers about 'Climate Change mitigation' using Exa."

"Find sites similar to https://techcrunch.com."

"Search for 'future of AI robotics' and give me the full content of the best result."

Troubleshooting Exa AI MCP Server with Cursor

Common issues when connecting Exa AI to Cursor through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

Tools not appearing in Cursor

Ensure you are in Agent mode (not Ask mode). MCP tools only work in Agent mode.

Server shows as disconnected

Check Settings → Features → MCP and verify the server status. Try clicking the refresh button.

Exa AI + Cursor FAQ

Common questions about integrating Exa AI MCP Server with Cursor.

What is Agent mode and why does it matter for MCP?

Agent mode is Cursor's autonomous execution mode where the AI can perform multi-step tasks: reading files, editing code, running terminal commands, and calling MCP tools. Without Agent mode, Cursor operates in a simpler ask-and-answer mode that doesn't support tool calling. Always ensure you're in Agent mode when working with MCP servers.

Where does Cursor store MCP configuration?

Cursor looks for MCP server configurations in a mcp.json file. You can configure servers at the project level (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root) or globally (~/.cursor/mcp.json). Project-level configs take precedence.

Can Cursor use MCP tools in inline edits?

No. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode through the chat panel. Inline completions and Tab suggestions do not trigger MCP tool calls. This is by design. tool calls require user visibility and approval.

How do I verify MCP tools are loaded?

Open Settings → Features → MCP and look for your server name. A green indicator means the server is connected. You can also check Agent mode's available tools by clicking the tools dropdown in the chat panel.