exa-web-search-free

Free AI search via Exa MCP. Web search for news/info, code search for docs/examples from GitHub/StackOverflow, company research for business intel. No API key needed.

3,891 stars

byopenclaw

Complexity: easy

View on GitHub Installation ↓

About this skill

The 'exa-web-search-free' skill empowers AI agents to perform diverse searches through Exa MCP. It offers three core capabilities: `web_search_exa` for general news and information, `get_code_context_exa` for finding code examples and documentation from platforms like GitHub and Stack Overflow, and `company_research_exa` for gathering business intelligence and news about specific companies. This skill is particularly valuable because it enables these advanced search functionalities without the need for an API key, making it highly accessible for AI agents. It leverages neural search to provide more relevant and contextual results across different data types, enhancing the agent's ability to gather precise information efficiently. Users would deploy this skill when their AI agent needs to quickly source information from the internet, resolve coding queries, or conduct preliminary market research, all within the agent's execution environment. It streamlines the information gathering process, providing structured access to vast amounts of external data.

Best use case

The primary use case is for AI agents that require comprehensive and free access to external information for tasks such as answering user queries, assisting with coding challenges, or performing background research. Developers, researchers, content creators, and business analysts leveraging AI agents will benefit most from its ability to retrieve targeted information across web, code, and company data without credential hurdles.

Free AI search via Exa MCP. Web search for news/info, code search for docs/examples from GitHub/StackOverflow, company research for business intel. No API key needed.

Users should expect concise, relevant search results or extracted information tailored to web, code, or company research queries, presented directly to the AI agent.

Practical example

Example input

Find the latest news regarding AI safety regulations in Europe since January 2024.

Example output

AI safety regulations in Europe: Recent proposals from the EU AI Act focus on high-risk AI systems, mandatory transparency, and human oversight. Key discussions include data governance, facial recognition restrictions, and penalties for non-compliance. Several member states are also developing national guidelines to complement the EU framework, with ongoing debates on implementation challenges and balancing innovation with ethical safeguards.

When to use this skill

When an AI agent needs to find current news, facts, or general web information.
When an AI agent is assisting with coding tasks and needs to find specific code examples, APIs, or documentation.
When performing preliminary research on companies for business intelligence or market analysis.
When a search tool is needed that doesn't require an API key for immediate use.

When not to use this skill

When proprietary or internal database searches are required that are not publicly accessible.
When extremely niche, highly academic, or deeply specialized research beyond web/code/company scope is needed.
When real-time data from specific, constantly updated feeds (e.g., stock market tickers) is critical, as results are based on index currency.
When advanced filtering options like specific date ranges or domain exclusions are strictly necessary and only the basic setup is available.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/exa-web-search-v2/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/skills/main/skills/15914355527/exa-web-search-v2/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

Download SKILL.md from GitHub
Place it in .claude/skills/exa-web-search-v2/SKILL.md inside your project
Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How exa-web-search-free Compares

Feature / Agent	exa-web-search-free	Standard Approach
Platform Support	Not specified	Limited / Varies
Context Awareness	High	Baseline
Installation Complexity	easy	N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Free AI search via Exa MCP. Web search for news/info, code search for docs/examples from GitHub/StackOverflow, company research for business intel. No API key needed.

How difficult is it to install?

The installation complexity is rated as easy. You can find the installation instructions above.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

Best AI Skills for Claude

Explore the best AI skills for Claude and Claude Code across coding, research, workflow automation, documentation, and agent operations.

AI Agent for SaaS Idea Validation

Use AI agent skills for SaaS idea validation, market research, customer discovery, competitor analysis, and documenting startup hypotheses.

AI Agents for Startups

Explore AI agent skills for startup validation, product research, growth experiments, documentation, and fast execution with small teams.

SKILL.md Source

# Exa Web Search (Free)

Neural search for web, code, and company research. No API key required.

## Setup

Verify mcporter is configured:
```bash
mcporter list exa
```

If not listed:
```bash
mcporter config add exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp
```

## Core Tools

### web_search_exa
Search web for current info, news, or facts.

```bash
mcporter call 'exa.web_search_exa(query: "latest AI news 2026", numResults: 5)'
```

**Parameters:**
- `query` - Search query
- `numResults` (optional, default: 8)
- `type` (optional) - `"auto"`, `"fast"`, or `"deep"`

### get_code_context_exa
Find code examples and docs from GitHub, Stack Overflow.

```bash
mcporter call 'exa.get_code_context_exa(query: "React hooks examples", tokensNum: 3000)'
```

**Parameters:**
- `query` - Code/API search query
- `tokensNum` (optional, default: 5000) - Range: 1000-50000

### company_research_exa
Research companies for business info and news.

```bash
mcporter call 'exa.company_research_exa(companyName: "Anthropic", numResults: 3)'
```

**Parameters:**
- `companyName` - Company name
- `numResults` (optional, default: 5)

## Advanced Tools (Optional)

Six additional tools available by updating config URL:
- `web_search_advanced_exa` - Domain/date filters
- `deep_search_exa` - Query expansion
- `crawling_exa` - Full page extraction
- `people_search_exa` - Professional profiles
- `deep_researcher_start/check` - AI research agent

**Enable all tools:**
```bash
mcporter config add exa-full "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?tools=web_search_exa,web_search_advanced_exa,get_code_context_exa,deep_search_exa,crawling_exa,company_research_exa,people_search_exa,deep_researcher_start,deep_researcher_check"

# Then use:
mcporter call 'exa-full.deep_search_exa(query: "AI safety research")'
```

## Tips

- Web: Use `type: "fast"` for quick lookup, `"deep"` for thorough research
- Code: Lower `tokensNum` (1000-2000) for focused, higher (5000+) for comprehensive
- See [examples.md](references/examples.md) for more patterns

## Resources

- [GitHub](https://github.com/exa-labs/exa-mcp-server)
- [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/exa-mcp-server)
- [Docs](https://exa.ai/docs)

Data & Research