How to integrate Exa MCP with Google ADK

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Exa is a data extraction and search platform for gathering and analyzing information from websites, APIs, or databases. It helps teams quickly surface insights and automate data-driven workflows.

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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 search the web, generate answers, fetch page contents, build and enrich Websets, and set up search monitors 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.

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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 Exa’s web search, content extraction, and research tools, so your agent can search the web, generate cited answers, retrieve website content, conduct in-depth research, and organize findings on your behalf.

  • Web search: Have your agent search the web with Exa to find relevant sources for a topic, question, company, or market.
  • Citation-backed answers: Ask the agent to answer specific questions or summarize broad topics using supporting web sources and citations.
  • Website content extraction: Direct your agent to retrieve text, highlights, summaries, and linked subpages from websites or saved documents.
  • Multi-step research: Let the agent start research tasks, check their progress, and return synthesized findings with citations when the work is complete.
  • Research collection management: Instruct your agent to create or delete web collections, import data into them, review imports, add enrichment, and set up monitors.

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

What is Composio SDK?

Composio's Composio SDK 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 Composio SDK

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

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK 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

Step by step09 STEPS
1

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
2

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.
3

Install dependencies

bash
pip install google-adk composio 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
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables
4

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
5

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
6

Import modules and validate environment

python
import os
import warnings

from composio import Composio
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
7

Create Composio client and Tool Router session

python
composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
    toolkits=["exa"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url,
print(f"Composio MCP 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
8

Set up the McpToolset and create the Agent

python
composio_toolset = McpToolset(
    connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
        url=COMPOSIO_MCP_URL,
        headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY}
    )
)

root_agent = Agent(
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    name="composio_agent",
    description="An agent that uses Composio 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
9

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

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.")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY, provider=GoogleProvider())

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=COMPOSIO_USER_ID,
    toolkits=["exa"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url


composio_toolset = McpToolset(
    connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
        url=COMPOSIO_MCP_URL,
        headers={"x-api-key": COMPOSIO_API_KEY}
    )
)

root_agent = Agent(
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    name="composio_agent",
    description="An agent that uses Composio 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 ;)")

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.

TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Exa action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Generate an answer

Generates 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.

Batch Search Monitors

Delete, pause, or unpause one batch of matching Search API monitors, not Websets monitors.

Cancel Agent Run

Cancel a queued or running Agent run immediately without returning results.

Cancel Webset

Cancel all operations on a Webset, stopping searches and enrichments.

Cancel Webset Enrichment

Cancel a running Webset enrichment and return its updated state.

Cancel Webset Search

Cancel a running search in a Webset and return its updated state.

Create Agent Run

Start an asynchronous Exa Agent run for multi-step web research or enrichment.

Create API Key

Create an API key for the authenticated Exa team.

Create Import

Tool to create a new import to upload data into a Webset.

Create a Monitor

Tool to create a new Monitor.

Create Search Monitor

Create a Search API monitor that delivers new, deduplicated search results to a webhook.

Create Webhook

Create a webhook delivering selected events to your URL.

Create Webset

Tool to create a new Webset with search, import, and enrichment setup.

Create Webset Enrichment

Create an enrichment task for items in an existing Webset.

Create Webset Search

Create a search for an existing Webset and return its initial state.

Delete Agent Run

Delete a stored Exa Agent run by ID and return its deletion receipt.

Delete API Key

Delete an API key belonging to the authenticated team using a Team Management service key.

Delete import

Tool to delete an existing import.

Delete Search Monitor

Permanently delete a Search API monitor and return the deleted monitor.

Delete Webhook

Delete a webhook, making its status inactive and stopping future deliveries to its URL.

Delete webset

Tool to delete a Webset.

Delete Webset Enrichment

Delete a Webset enrichment and return the deleted enrichment.

Delete Webset Item

Delete an item from a Webset and return the deleted item.

Delete Websets Monitor

Delete a Websets monitor and return the deleted monitor.

Get Agent Run

Retrieve an Agent run to inspect its status, output, citations, usage, or cost.

Get API Key

Tool to retrieve details of a specific API key by its ID.

Get API Key Usage

Get an Exa API key's total cost and cost breakdown for a time period.

Get contents from URLs or document IDs

Retrieve text / highlights / summary / subpages from URLs.

Get Event

Tool to get details of a specific event by its ID.

Get Import

Retrieve an import by ID to inspect its status, entity count, and failure details.

Get Search Monitor

Retrieve a Search API monitor's configuration, status, and next scheduled run by ID.

Get Search Monitor Run

Retrieve a Search API monitor run's status and full output when completed.

Get Webhook

Retrieve a webhook's status, events, destination URL, and metadata by ID.

Get Webset

Retrieve a Webset by ID or external ID, including its status and operations.

Get Webset Enrichment

Retrieve an enrichment configured on a Webset, including its status, description, format, and options.

Get Webset Item

Retrieve a Webset item by ID, including its properties, evaluations, and enrichments.

Get Webset Search

Retrieve a Webset search by ID to inspect its status, progress, and recall metrics.

Get Websets Monitor

Retrieve a Websets monitor's status, schedule, search behavior, and last run.

Get Websets Monitor Run

Retrieve a Websets monitor run's status, type, timestamps, and failure reason.

Get Websets Team Info

Get the authenticated Websets team's identity, current concurrency usage, and limits.

List Agent Run Events

List one page of stored Exa Agent run events as JSON, with cursor pagination.

List Agent Runs

List one page of your team's Exa Agent runs, ordered newest to oldest.

List API Keys

List the authenticated Exa team's API keys, or retrieve one by API key ID.

List events

Tool to list all events that have occurred in the system.

List imports

List Websets imports with cursor-based pagination to inspect import jobs.

List Search Monitor Runs

List one page of a Search API monitor's runs, newest first, including status and output.

List Search Monitors

List one page of the authenticated team's Search API monitors, not Websets monitors.

List Webhook Attempts

List one page of a webhook's delivery attempts in descending order.

List webhooks

Tool to list all webhooks for Websets.

List Webset Items

List one page of a Webset's items, optionally filtered by source ID.

List Websets

List one page of Websets, optionally filtered by ID, external ID, or title.

List Websets Monitor Runs

List one page of runs for a Websets monitor, including status and timestamps.

List Websets Monitors

List one page of Websets monitors, optionally filtered by Webset ID.

Preview Webset

Preview how Exa interprets a search before creating a Webset.

Search

Search the web for ranked results with optional per-result text, highlights, or summaries.

Stop Agent Run

Complete a running ultra-effort Agent run early and return results gathered so far.

Trigger Search Monitor

Trigger an immediate Search API monitor run regardless of its schedule.

Update API Key

Update an API key's name, rate limit, or billing-period spending budget.

Update import

Tool to update an import configuration by ID.

Update Search Monitor

Update a Search API monitor's settings, pause or resume it, or remove its schedule with trigger=null.

Update Webhook

Update a webhook's destination URL, subscribed events, or metadata.

Update Webset

Update a Webset's title or metadata, leaving omitted fields unchanged.

Update Webset Enrichment

Update an enrichment's task, format, options, or metadata on a Webset.

Update Websets Monitor

Update a Websets monitor's status, schedule, search behavior, or metadata.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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.

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.

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.

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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