Exa CLI

CLI tool for Exa's AI-powered search APIs. Perform web search, code search, deep research, crawling, and company/LinkedIn research from your terminal.

Installation

bun install
bun link

Alternative - Compile to standalone binary:

bun build ./src/index.ts --compile --outfile exa
sudo cp exa /usr/local/bin/

Configuration

# Set API key (stored at ~/.config/exa/config.json)
exa config set api-key <your-key>

# View config
exa config list
exa config path

# Check connectivity
exa status

API key priority: --api-key flag > EXA_API_KEY env var > config file

Usage

Web Search

exa search "quantum computing breakthroughs 2024"
exa search "best restaurants NYC" -n 5 --max-chars 5000
exa search "AI news" --raw  # JSON output

Code Search

exa code "React hooks documentation"
exa code "FastAPI authentication" --tokens 10000

Deep Search

exa deep-search "What are the latest developments in fusion energy?"
exa deep-search "AI safety research" -n 10

Crawl URL

exa crawl "https://example.com"
exa crawl "https://blog.example.com/post" --max-chars 5000

Company Research

exa company "OpenAI" -n 5
exa company "Tesla" --raw

LinkedIn Search

exa linkedin "software engineer" -t profiles -n 5
exa linkedin "AI companies" -t companies
exa linkedin "startup founder"  # all types

Research Tasks

# Start async research
exa research start "Brief history of quantum computing" --wait
exa research start "AI trends 2024" --model exa-research-pro

# Check status
exa research check <task-id>
exa research check <task-id> --wait

Global Flags

exa search "test" --api-key <key>  # Override API key
exa search "test" --raw            # JSON output
exa search "test" --debug          # Debug info

Commands

Command	Description
search	Web search with content extraction
code	Code/SDK documentation search
deep-search	Complex research with query expansion
crawl	Extract content from URL
company	Company research across business sources
linkedin	Search LinkedIn profiles/companies
research start	Start async research task
research check	Check research task status
config	Manage configuration
status	Check API connectivity

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success
• 1 - General error
• 2 - Authentication error
• 3 - Invalid arguments
• 4 - Network error
• 5 - Timeout

Development

bun install
bun run dev <command>      # Run without building
bun run typecheck          # Type check
bun run build              # Build binary