Exa in Claude Code, Web, and Desktop

Search the web and read any page with Exa directly from Claude

Install Exa in Claude Code or connect it to Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork to give Claude access to current information from the web. Claude can search in natural language, read the pages that matter, and use those sources while it works.

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Install Exa

Claude Web, Desktop & Cowork

1. Open the connector directory

   In a new Claude chat, select the plus button, choose Add connector, and search for Exa.

2. Connect Exa

   Open Exa, select Connect to Claude, and authorize access when prompted.

   

   Opening the connector directory in Claude, finding Exa, connecting it, and authorizing access

3. Use Exa

   Start a new chat and ask for something that needs current information from the web.

Claude Code CLI

1. Install the plugin

   Install Exa from the terminal:

   claude plugin install exa@claude-plugins-official
   

   You can also type /plugin in Claude Code, search for Exa, and install it.

2. Start a new session

   Open a new Claude Code session so the plugin loads, then ask for something that needs the web.

   

   Opening a new Claude Code session and asking for something that needs the web

Both options make Exa available without editing an MCP configuration file.

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Work with what’s on the web right now

In Claude Code, Exa can search current documentation, issues, changelogs, and real-world examples while working in your repository. The same integration gives Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork current news, research, company information, product details, and other sources that may not already be in context.

We're on Tailwind v3. Use Exa to find and read the official Tailwind v4
upgrade guide, then migrate this project to v4.

Claude Code can use what it finds to make the change in your codebase. In other Claude clients, it can use the same sources in answers, artifacts, and Cowork tasks.

The same pattern works whenever the answer depends on current or specific web sources:

• “Find the latest release notes for this dependency and summarize the breaking changes.”
• “Search for recent primary research on inference-time scaling and compare the methods.”
• “Read the current Stripe webhook documentation and explain the recommended retry behavior.”
• “Find official pricing pages for these products and compare their entry-level plans.”

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Search, read, and research

The Exa integration gives Claude tools to search and read the web, which it can combine across a longer research task.

Search

Search in natural language and get relevant page content, not only a list of links.

Read

Read a page you point to, including documentation, research, changelogs, issues, and articles.

Research

Run multiple searches, inspect useful pages, and combine the evidence into a sourced response.

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Research without leaving Claude

Ask for the result you want and tell Claude what kinds of sources matter:

Compare the managed offerings, licensing, and pricing of the main
open source vector databases. Use current primary sources and cite them.

Claude can use Exa throughout the conversation to find and read the sources needed for the task. Use this for technical research, competitive analysis, market mapping, company research, or any question whose answer lives across the web.

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Use Exa in Cowork

The same connector is available in Cowork. Give Claude a task that depends on outside information, and it can search or read pages while working with your files and other connected tools.

Review this competitive brief, verify every pricing claim against the
current vendor pages with Exa, and update the document with citations.

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Prefer MCP directly?

If you’re configuring Claude manually or using another MCP client, you can connect directly to Exa’s hosted MCP server:

claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

See Exa MCP for other clients, configuration options, and available tools.

Open the Exa connector

Add Exa in Claude’s connector directory.