exa-best-practices

Exa Best Practices

Tool Selection

Need	Tool	When
Web search	web_search_exa	Current info, news, research, general questions, code examples
Read a URL	web_fetch_exa	Extract content from a known URL

Citation Standards

When using Exa search results, always cite sources:

• Inline citations: Every fact or claim should reference its source
• Source URLs: Include the actual URL, not just the title
• Sources section: End responses with a list of all sources used
• Never fabricate URLs: Only cite URLs that appear in search results

Search Quality Tips

1. Natural language queries work better than keyword stuffing
2. Be specific — include dates, names, versions when relevant
3. Multiple queries with different phrasings improve coverage
4. Adjust result count to match the depth needed (3-5 quick, 10-20 deep)

Getting Started

1. Get your API key at https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys
2. Add the MCP server in Cursor Settings → MCP
3. Start searching with /exa-search or /exa-fetch

Troubleshooting

• Tools not available: Check if the Exa MCP server is installed. If web_search_exa or web_fetch_exa are not in your tool list, stop and request the user to: (1) run /exa-setup in Cursor to add the MCP server, and (2) go to Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP and make sure Exa is toggled on (green).
• No results: Try rephrasing the query or broadening search terms