Exa Python SDK

2.11.0 · active · verified Fri Apr 10

The official Python SDK for Exa, the web search API for AI. It enables developers to semantically search the web, retrieve page contents, find similar pages, and generate answers with citations. The library is currently at version 2.11.0 and is actively maintained with regular updates.

Warnings

breaking The library was formerly known as `metaphor-python`. While the API is largely compatible, existing `metaphor-python` installations should be migrated to `exa-py`.
Fix: Uninstall `metaphor-python` and install `exa-py`. Update import statements from `from metaphor_python import Metaphor` to `from exa_py import Exa`.
gotcha When using the `search` method with `output_schema`, avoid including citation or confidence fields directly in the schema. Grounding is returned automatically in the `output.grounding` field.
Fix: Structure `output_schema` to focus only on the desired content fields. Access citation information via `results.output.grounding`.
gotcha By default, content retrieval (e.g., via `search` or `get_contents`) returns text with a maximum of 10,000 characters. To disable content retrieval or specify different options (like highlights or summary), use the `contents` parameter.
Fix: Set `contents=False` to opt-out of content retrieval, or pass a dictionary with `ContentsOptions` (e.g., `contents={'highlights': {'max_characters': 4000}}`) to customize.
gotcha For searches of `type: "object"` with `output_schema`, there are current limitations on the complexity of the output schema: a maximum nesting depth of 2 and a maximum of 10 total properties are enforced.
Fix: Design `output_schema` to adhere to these depth and property count limits when requesting structured output.

Install

pip install exa-py Install stable version

Imports

Exa
```
from exa_py import Exa
```
AsyncExa
```
from exa_py import AsyncExa
```
Use for asynchronous operations.

Quickstart

Instantiate the Exa client with your API key, then perform a web search and get an answer to a question. Ensure the 'EXA_API_KEY' environment variable is set.

import os
from exa_py import Exa

exa = Exa(api_key=os.environ.get('EXA_API_KEY', ''))

if exa.api_key:
    # Search the web
    results = exa.search(
        "blog post about artificial intelligence",
        type="auto",
        contents={"highlights": True}
    )
    print("Search results:", results.results)

    # Ask a question
    response = exa.answer("What is the capital of France?")
    print("Answer:", response.answer)
else:
    print("EXA_API_KEY environment variable not set. Please set it to run the quickstart example.")

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