Skip to main content
The EXASearchTool lets CrewAI agents search the web using the Exa search API. It returns the most relevant results for any query, with options for full page content and AI-generated summaries.

​
Installation

Install the CrewAI tools package: 
pip install 'crewai[tools]'

​
Environment Variables

Set your Exa API key as an environment variable: 
export EXA_API_KEY='your_exa_api_key'
Get an API key from the Exa dashboard.

​
Example Usage

Here’s how to use the EXASearchTool within a CrewAI agent: 
import os
from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew
from crewai_tools import EXASearchTool

# Initialize the tool
exa_tool = EXASearchTool()

# Create an agent that uses the tool
researcher = Agent(
    role='Research Analyst',
    goal='Find the latest information on any topic',
    backstory='An expert researcher who finds the most relevant and up-to-date information.',
    tools=[exa_tool],
    verbose=True
)

# Create a task for the agent
research_task = Task(
    description='Find the top 3 recent breakthroughs in quantum computing.',
    expected_output='A summary of the top 3 breakthroughs with source URLs.',
    agent=researcher
)

# Form the crew and kick it off
crew = Crew(
    agents=[researcher],
    tasks=[research_task],
    verbose=True
)

result = crew.kickoff()
print(result)

​
Configuration Options

The EXASearchTool accepts the following parameters during initialization:
  • type (str, optional): The search type to use. Defaults to "auto". Options: "auto", "instant", "fast", "deep".
  • content (bool, optional): Whether to include full page content in results. Defaults to False.
  • summary (bool, optional): Whether to include AI-generated summaries of each result. Requires content=True. Defaults to False.
  • api_key (str, optional): Your Exa API key. Falls back to the EXA_API_KEY environment variable if not provided.
  • base_url (str, optional): Custom API server URL. Falls back to the EXA_BASE_URL environment variable if not provided.
When calling the tool (or when an agent invokes it), the following search parameters are available:
  • search_query (str): Required. The search query string.
  • start_published_date (str, optional): Filter results published after this date (ISO 8601 format, e.g. "2024-01-01").
  • end_published_date (str, optional): Filter results published before this date (ISO 8601 format).
  • include_domains (list[str], optional): A list of domains to restrict the search to.

​
Advanced Usage

You can configure the tool with custom parameters for richer results: 
# Get full page content with AI summaries
exa_tool = EXASearchTool(
    content=True,
    summary=True,
    type="deep"
)

# Use it in an agent
agent = Agent(
    role="Deep Researcher",
    goal="Conduct thorough research with full content and summaries",
    tools=[exa_tool]
)

​
Features

  • Semantic Search: Find results based on meaning, not just keywords
  • Full Content Retrieval: Get the full text of web pages alongside search results
  • AI Summaries: Get concise, AI-generated summaries of each result
  • Date Filtering: Limit results to specific time periods with published date filters
  • Domain Filtering: Restrict searches to specific domains