AI search engine Exa just flipped the switch on its MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for ChatGPT. To start using it, head to ChatGPT's settings, find the Apps section, and search for "Exa."
Exa's search engine is built specifically for AI agents — it can dig up people, companies, and academic papers that traditional search engines often miss. According to Exa, the integration is especially useful inside ChatGPT's Deep Research mode. ChatGPT already had its own built-in search feature, but this is the first time a third-party search tool has been connected via the MCP protocol.
Exa was founded in 2023 under the name Metaphor. Before this ChatGPT rollout, it already supported MCP integration with more than a dozen AI tools, including Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.