exa-search
by affaan-mexa-search is an Exa MCP skill for current web-backed research, code examples, company intel, people lookup, and fast source discovery. Use it when freshness and evidence matter, and when you need a practical exa-search guide for live search, tool-based answers, and web research workflows.
This skill scores 78/100, which means it is a solid directory candidate: users get a clearly triggerable Exa search workflow with enough operational detail to justify installation, though they should expect some setup and scope caveats. The repo gives enough evidence to decide it is more than a generic prompt, but not yet a fully polished, self-contained package.
- Clear activation cues for current web info, code examples, company research, and people lookup, making it easy for agents to trigger appropriately.
- Concrete MCP setup instructions plus an explicit API key requirement reduce guesswork for installation and runtime use.
- Documents actual tool surface and example usage for `web_search_exa` and `get_code_context_exa`, which improves agent leverage over a generic search prompt.
- No install command or support files are provided, so adopters must configure the MCP server manually.
- The excerpt notes tool-name verification may be needed if the server exposes additional tools, which adds some integration uncertainty.
Overview of exa-search skill
The exa-search skill is for using Exa’s MCP search tools when you need current, web-backed answers instead of static model knowledge. It is a strong fit for web research, code examples, company intel, people lookup, and “what changed recently?” questions where source quality and recency matter.
What exa-search is best for
Use the exa-search skill when the task depends on live search, source discovery, or quick synthesis across the web. It is especially useful for exa-search for Web Research, technical lookup, competitive research, and finding specific pages that would be tedious to locate manually.
Why this skill is different
Unlike a generic prompt, exa-search is tied to Exa’s MCP tools such as web_search_exa and get_code_context_exa. That means the workflow is not just “ask the model to search”; it expects a real search-capable environment and a query that can be executed against current web results.
When to skip it
Skip exa-search if the answer is already in your local files, if the task needs no freshness, or if Exa MCP is not configured. If you cannot provide an API key or tool access, this skill will not be able to do its main job.
How to Use exa-search skill
Install exa-search
Install the skill with:
npx skills add affaan-m/everything-claude-code --skill exa-search
Before relying on it, make sure your Claude MCP config includes the Exa server and a valid EXA_API_KEY. The skill assumes the search tools are available; without them, exa-search usage will fail at the tool layer rather than the prompt layer.
Start from the right inputs
A good exa-search request is specific about subject, scope, and output format. Instead of “research this company,” give a target, time window, and decision goal: “Find recent funding, product launches, and customer proof for Company X, using sources from the last 12 months, then summarize risks and differentiators.”
Suggested workflow
Read SKILL.md first, then check the tool names and any usage notes in the repository before prompting. For exa-search guide workflows, keep the first pass narrow: search, inspect the best sources, then ask for synthesis only after you have enough evidence. That usually produces cleaner answers than asking for a final report immediately.
Practical prompt pattern
Use prompts that tell the skill what to search, how current it should be, and what evidence to prefer. A strong pattern is:
Use exa-search to find current sources on [topic]. Prioritize official docs, primary announcements, and recent technical pages. Return 5-8 sources, then summarize the key takeaways and any conflicts between sources.
exa-search skill FAQ
Do I need MCP configured first?
Yes. The exa-search skill depends on Exa MCP being installed and reachable. If the server or API key is missing, the skill cannot perform its main search workflow.
Is exa-search only for web research?
No. The skill also covers code context, company research, and people discovery. But for exa-search for Web Research, its strongest value is finding current, sourceable information fast.
Is it better than a normal prompt?
For search-heavy tasks, yes. A normal prompt can guess; exa-search can query live sources and ground the answer in current results. That matters when freshness, citations, or source selection affect the decision.
Is it beginner-friendly?
Yes, if you can describe the question clearly. The main learning curve is not syntax; it is giving the skill a focused query, a time range, and a preferred source type.
How to Improve exa-search skill
Give the search engine a sharper target
The biggest quality jump comes from better query framing. Include names, product categories, dates, and the exact question you need answered. “Latest docs for Exa API embeddings” is much better than “tell me about Exa.”
Tell it what counts as a good source
For exa-search usage, source selection matters as much as query wording. Ask for official docs, release notes, vendor pages, GitHub issues, or primary announcements when accuracy matters; ask for broader coverage only when you need market context.
Iterate from search to synthesis
If the first result set is noisy, refine the query before asking for a summary. Common failure modes are too-broad topics, missing date constraints, and asking for conclusions before enough evidence has been gathered.