Search and Retrieval APIs
Use Exa with Microsoft Agent Framework
The recorded connection between Exa and Microsoft Agent Framework is Connected through MCP (Agent Framework MCP client connected to the official Exa MCP server (exa-mcp-server)). This page records the connection and links the evidence behind it.
This page is published for readers and kept out of the search index until the pairing carries a configuration example checked against the source.
Pairing facts
Why this pairing
A search API for AI: natural-language queries over an index built for agents, with content returned in model-ready shapes.
Best for: Agents that need relevant evidence quickly and sized for the context window, research steps that benefit from deeper search modes with synthesis, and pipelines that want structured JSON answers with sources attached.
Not ideal for: Self-hosted stacks with no external API dependency, and workloads that mostly fetch known URLs rather than discover sources.
Evidence
The Microsoft Learn overview lists MCP clients among the framework's foundational building blocks and states agents call tools and MCP servers. Exa publishes an official MCP server, catalogued on AgentsUse at /mcp/exa, so the pairing runs over MCP rather than an Exa-specific adapter.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/overview/
Compatibility means the cited page documents the pairing. It does not mean AgentsUse benchmarked the combination or that every version behaves the same. Pin versions, start with a small job, and review the first outputs before widening access.
Watch for
- Search does not support pagination; deep modes add seconds of latency per call.
- Requesting both highlights and full text bills two content views of the same page.