Exa AI MCP Server for Windsurf 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect Exa AI through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"exa-ai": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* 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.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Exa AI tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 6 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
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 Windsurf 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 Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Exa AI MCP Server with Windsurf.
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
Start using Exa AI
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Exa AI, help me...". 6 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the Exa AI MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with Exa AI through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 6 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Exa AI + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the Exa AI MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from Exa AI and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query Exa AI tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from Exa AI and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine Exa AI data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
Exa AI MCP Tools for Windsurf (6)
These 6 tools become available when you connect Exa AI to Windsurf 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 Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf 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 Windsurf
Common issues when connecting Exa AI to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
Exa AI + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating Exa AI MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Connect Exa AI with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
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TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
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Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect Exa AI to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 6 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.