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mcp/harbor

Cursor Exa Search web_search_exa

How to: Cursor Exa Search web_search_exa

client:Cursor transport:stdio tool:web_search_exa

Add Exa Search to Cursor

  1. 01

    Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json and merge this in. Keep any servers already there. 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-mcp-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "<EXA_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}
  1. 02

    Save the file and restart Cursor.

  2. 03

    Ask for something web_search_exa does. Cursor lists the server's tools on connect and calls web_search_exa itself — you do not invoke it by name.

  3. 04

    If nothing happens, check the server is running and that Exa Search's identifier in your config matches the one above exactly.

Use .cursor/mcp.json in a project root instead to scope it to that project. Cursor merges both. Cursor docs

Set these first

Exa Search will not start until these are set, so web_search_exa never becomes available.

  • EXA_API_KEY

Same tool, other clients

Mutating and Read-only are read off each tool's name, not its schema — a hint, not a guarantee. The registry stores tool names only; connect the server for its live schemas.

Exa Search MCP server