exa-websets-mcp

What This Does

This MCP server acts as a unified gateway that lets you query Exa (for code search), Websets (for deep research), and Deep Search (for structured, citation-backed answers) through **any MCP client — including Poke AI, Cursor, and Windsurf.

It enables you to:

• Search across custom collections of websites simultaneously (vs. searching one site at a time)
• Find real-time information beyond training data (current news, market updates, new companies)
• Access specialized databases like Crunchbase, Pitchbook, and LinkedIn for verified business information
• Monitor specific industries or trends by searching relevant publications together
• Verify contact information across multiple sources for accuracy
• Compile comprehensive research reports by pulling from diverse authoritative sources
• Conduct competitive analysis by gathering data across company websites, news sources, and business directories

Features

• Unified Gateway: Access all tools through a single Render deployment
• Code Search: Specialized Exa model for coding questions
• Websets: Deep research and list management
• Deep Search: Structured outputs with field-level citations and deep-reasoning support
• Cloud Ready: Deploy to Render with one click
• Universal Compatibility: Works with Poke, Cursor, Windsurf, and any standard MCP client

Capabilities Reference

What this MCP server allows you to do:

• Search across custom collections of websites simultaneously (vs. searching one site at a time)
• Find real-time information beyond training data (current news, market updates, new companies)
• Access specialized databases like Crunchbase, Pitchbook, and LinkedIn for verified business information
• Monitor specific industries or trends by searching relevant publications together
• Verify contact information across multiple sources for accuracy
• Compile comprehensive research reports by pulling from diverse authoritative sources
• Conduct competitive analysis by gathering data across company websites, news sources, and business directories

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Exa API Key
• An MCP Client (Poke, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
• Render account (free tier works)

Option 1: Deploy to Render (Recommended)

1. Fork this repository.
2. Create a new Web Service on Render.
3. Connect your forked repository.
4. Set environment variables:

• EXA_API_KEY: Your Exa API key
• PORT: 8080 (optional, Render sets this automatically)

1. Get your MCP URL: https://your-service-name.onrender.com

Option 2: Run Locally

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/kabirrgrover/exa-websets-mcp.git
   cd exa-websets-mcp

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

1. Configure environment:

Set EXA_API_KEY in your environment.

1. Run the server:

   npm start

Server runs at: http://localhost:8080

Client Configuration

To connect this server, use the URLs below. These work with any MCP-compliant client.

1. Websets (Research)

• URL: https://your-service-name.onrender.com/websets/sse
• Use for: Research, Lead Gen, Lists

2. Exa (Coding)

• URL: https://your-service-name.onrender.com/mcp
• Use for: Coding questions, Documentation search

3. Deep Search (Structured Answers)

• URL: https://your-service-name.onrender.com/deep/sse
• Use for: Structured outputs with citations, deep-reasoning queries

Example MCP Client Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-research": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-app.onrender.com/websets/sse"]
    },
    "exa-code": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-app.onrender.com/mcp"]
    },
    "exa-deep": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-app.onrender.com/deep/sse"]
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

"Invalid MCP server URL"

• Verify your URL matches the endpoints above exactly.
• Ensure the server is live on Render (green status).

"Authentication failed"

• Verify EXA_API_KEY is set correctly in Render environment variables.

Messages failing

• If Poke cannot send messages, ensure you are using the correct endpoint (/websets/sse for Websets).

Architecture

MCP Client <-> Gateway (Express) <-> [Exa MCP, Websets MCP, Deep Search MCP]

License

MIT License