Bring Semantic Search
to VS Code Copilot
Create your Vinkius account to connect Exa AI to VS Code Copilot and start using all 6 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the 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.
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.
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your Exa API Key
- Start managing your web discovery through Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Research Analysts — monitor semantic search results and competitor links straight from your workflow.
- AI Developers — verify content extraction and audit search relevancy for your agentic applications.
- Knowledge Workers — perform rapid audits of related sources and retrieve site summaries through natural language.
- Operations Leads — automate web discovery querying to orchestrate cross-functional research teams smoothly.
Built-in capabilities (6)
Find websites similar to a given URL
Get current API usage and crawl statistics
Get cleaned HTML/text content for specific Exa IDs
Get just the top links for a search query
Search the web semantically using Exa
Search and retrieve contents in one request
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Exa AI data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 6 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
- —
Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
- —
GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
Exa AI in VS Code Copilot
Why run Exa AI with Vinkius?
The Exa AI connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 6 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.
* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.
Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect Exa AI using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
Exa AI and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect Exa AI to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
Exa AI for VS Code Copilot
Every request between VS Code Copilot and Exa AI is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my Exa API Key?
Log in to your Exa.ai dashboard, 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.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
Explore More MCP Servers
View all →
Oracle NetSuite
9 toolsManage financials, sales orders, inventory, and customer records on Oracle NetSuite — the leading cloud ERP.
GPTZero
8 toolsDetect AI-generated text with confidence scores and highlight exactly which passages were likely written by a language model.
Mattermark
10 toolsStartup and venture capital data via Mattermark — search companies, investors, and funding rounds.
Road511
8 toolsAccess real-time US and Canada traffic data via Road511 — track incidents, monitor cameras, check road conditions, and analyze trends from any AI agent.