How to integrate Exa MCP with Google ADK

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Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Exa to Google ADK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Exa agent that can summarize recent news articles on ai safety, find similar research papers to this url, create a webset for quarterly sales data, list all monitoring events from this week through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Google ADK agent real control over a Exa account through Composio's Exa MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get a Exa account set up and connected to Composio
  • Install the Google ADK and Composio packages
  • Create a Composio Tool Router session for Exa
  • Build an agent that connects to Exa through MCP
  • Interact with Exa using natural language

What is Google ADK?

Google ADK (Agents Development Kit) is Google's framework for building AI agents powered by Gemini models. It provides tools for creating agents that can use external services through the Model Context Protocol.

Key features include:

  • Gemini Integration: Native support for Google's Gemini models
  • MCP Toolset: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol tools
  • Streamable HTTP: Connect to external services through streamable HTTP
  • CLI and Web UI: Run agents via command line or web interface

What is the Exa MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Exa MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Exa account. It provides structured and secure access to your Exa data platform, so your agent can perform actions like extracting answers from web data, running semantic searches, managing imports, and automating monitoring across your datasets.

  • Citation-backed question answering: Have your agent generate direct, source-cited answers or detailed summaries for your research questions using Exa’s advanced search.
  • Semantic similarity search: Quickly find web pages or documents that are semantically related to a given URL, complete with highlights or summaries for context.
  • Data import and webset management: Let your agent create, configure, or delete imports and websets to streamline data gathering and enrichment workflows.
  • Automated data monitoring: Schedule and manage monitors for websets to keep your data fresh and up-to-date with minimal manual intervention.
  • Event tracking and retrieval: Access a full history of system events or fetch details for specific events to stay on top of activity within your Exa environment.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Generate an answerGenerates a direct, citation-backed answer to a clear natural language question or topic using exa's search, adept at both specific answers and detailed summaries for open-ended queries.
Create ImportTool to create a new import to upload data into a webset.
Create a MonitorTool to create a new monitor.
Create WebsetTool to create a new webset with search, import, and enrichment setup.
Delete importTool to delete an existing import.
Delete websetTool to delete a webset.
Find similarFinds web pages semantically similar to a given url using embeddings-based search, optionally retrieving full text, highlights, or summaries for results.
Get contents from URLs or document IDsRetrieves configurable text and highlights from a list of exa document ids or publicly accessible urls.
Get EventTool to get details of a specific event by its id.
List eventsTool to list all events that have occurred in the system.
List importsTool to list all imports for the webset.
List webhooksTool to list all webhooks for websets.
SearchPerforms a web search using the exa engine, useful for queries requiring advanced filtering, specific content categories, or ai-optimized prompting.
Update importTool to update an import configuration by id.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Tool Router?

Composio's Tool Router helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Tool Router

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • A Google API key for Gemini models
  • A Composio account and API key
  • Python 3.9 or later installed
  • Basic familiarity with Python

Getting API Keys for Google and Composio

Google API Key
  • Go to Google AI Studio and create an API key.
  • Copy the key and keep it safe. You will put this in GOOGLE_API_KEY.
Composio API Key and User ID
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Go to Settings → API Keys and copy your Composio API key. Use this for COMPOSIO_API_KEY.
  • Decide on a stable user identifier to scope sessions, often your email or a user ID. Use this for COMPOSIO_USER_ID.

Install dependencies

bash
pip install google-adk composio-google python-dotenv

Inside your virtual environment, install the required packages.

What's happening:

  • google-adk is Google's Agents Development Kit
  • composio connects your agent to Exa via MCP
  • composio-google provides the Google ADK provider
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables

Set up ADK project

bash
adk create my_agent

Set up a new Google ADK project.

What's happening:

  • This creates an agent folder with a root agent file and .env file

Set environment variables

bash
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-google-api-key
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your-composio-api-key
COMPOSIO_USER_ID=your-user-id-or-email

Save all your credentials in the .env file.

What's happening:

  • GOOGLE_API_KEY authenticates with Google's Gemini models
  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • COMPOSIO_USER_ID identifies the user for session management

Import modules and validate environment

python
import os
import warnings

from composio import Composio
from composio_google import GoogleProvider
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from google.adk.agents.llm_agent import Agent
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_session_manager import StreamableHTTPConnectionParams
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_toolset import McpToolset

load_dotenv()

warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", message=".*BaseAuthenticatedTool.*")

GOOGLE_API_KEY = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

if not GOOGLE_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("GOOGLE_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
    raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set in the environment.")
What's happening:
  • os reads environment variables
  • Composio is the main Composio SDK client
  • GoogleProvider declares that you are using Google ADK as the agent runtime
  • Agent is the Google ADK LLM agent class
  • McpToolset lets the ADK agent call MCP tools over HTTP

Create Composio client and Tool Router session

python
print("Initializing Composio client...")
composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY, provider=GoogleProvider())

print("Creating Composio session...")
composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
    toolkits=["exa"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url
print(f"Composio MCP HTTP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
What's happening:
  • Authenticates to Composio with your API key
  • Declares Google ADK as the provider
  • Spins up a short-lived MCP endpoint for your user and selected toolkit
  • Stores the MCP HTTP URL for the ADK MCP integration

Set up the McpToolset and create the Agent

python
print("Creating Composio toolset for the agent...")
composio_toolset = McpToolset(
    connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
        url=COMPOSIO_MCP_URL,
        headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")}
    )
)

root_agent = Agent(
    model="gemini-2.5-pro",
    name="composio_agent",
    description="An agent that uses Exa tools to perform actions.",
    instruction=(
        "You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio. "
        "You have the following tools available: "
        "COMPOSIO_SEARCH_TOOLS, COMPOSIO_MULTI_EXECUTE_TOOL, "
        "COMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS, COMPOSIO_REMOTE_BASH_TOOL, COMPOSIO_REMOTE_WORKBENCH. "
        "Use these tools to help users with Exa operations."
    ),
    tools=[composio_toolset],
)

print("\nAgent setup complete. You can now run this agent directly ;)")
What's happening:
  • Connects the ADK agent to the Composio MCP endpoint through McpToolset
  • Uses Gemini as the model powering the agent
  • Lists exact tool names in instruction to reduce misnamed tool calls

Run the agent

bash
# Run in CLI mode
adk run my_agent

# Or run in web UI mode
adk web
Execute the agent from the project root. The web command opens a web portal where you can chat with the agent. What's happening:
  • adk run runs the agent in CLI mode
  • adk web opens a web UI for interactive testing

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Exa and Google ADK:

python
import os
import warnings

from composio import Composio
from composio_google import GoogleProvider
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from google.adk.agents.llm_agent import Agent
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_session_manager import StreamableHTTPConnectionParams
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_toolset import McpToolset

def main():
    try:
        load_dotenv()

        warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", message=".*BaseAuthenticatedTool.*")

        GOOGLE_API_KEY = os.getenv("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
        COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
        COMPOSIO_USER_ID = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID")

        if not GOOGLE_API_KEY:
            raise ValueError("GOOGLE_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
        if not COMPOSIO_API_KEY:
            raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set in the environment.")
        if not COMPOSIO_USER_ID:
            raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set in the environment.")

        print("Initializing Composio client...")
        composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY, provider=GoogleProvider())

        print("Creating Composio session...")
        composio_session = composio_client.create(
            user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
            toolkits=["exa"],
        )

        COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url
        print(f"Composio MCP HTTP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")

        print("Creating Composio toolset for the agent...")
        composio_toolset = McpToolset(
            connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
                url=COMPOSIO_MCP_URL,
                headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")}
            )
        )

        root_agent = Agent(
            model="gemini-2.5-pro",
            name="composio_agent",
            description="An agent that uses Exa tools to perform actions.",
            instruction=(
                "You are a helpful assistant connected to Composio. "
                "You have the following tools available: "
                "COMPOSIO_SEARCH_TOOLS, COMPOSIO_MULTI_EXECUTE_TOOL, "
                "COMPOSIO_MANAGE_CONNECTIONS, COMPOSIO_REMOTE_BASH_TOOL, COMPOSIO_REMOTE_WORKBENCH. "
                "Use these tools to help users with Exa operations."
            ),
            tools=[composio_toolset],
        )

        print("\nAgent setup complete. You can now run this agent directly ;)")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"\nAn error occurred during agent setup: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Exa with the Google ADK through Composio's MCP Tool Router. Your agent can now interact with Exa using natural language commands.

Key takeaways:

  • The Tool Router approach dynamically routes requests to the appropriate Exa tools
  • Environment variables keep your credentials secure and separate from code
  • Clear agent instructions reduce tool calling errors
  • The ADK web UI provides an interactive interface for testing and development

You can extend this setup by adding more toolkits to the toolkits array in your session configuration.

How to build Exa MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Exa MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Claude Agent SDK

Use Exa MCP with Claude Agent SDK

LangChain

LangChain

Use Exa MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK

Vercel AI SDK

Use Exa MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI

Mastra AI

Use Exa MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex

LlamaIndex

Use Exa MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI

CrewAI

Use Exa MCP with CrewAI

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Exa MCP?

With a standalone Exa MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Exa tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Exa and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Google ADK?

Yes, you can. Google ADK fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Exa tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Exa while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Exa scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Exa data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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