Exa Research
Use when researching products, finding academic papers, discovering competitors, reading webpage content, or getting cited answers…
- Type
- Skill
- Repository
- BlockRunAI/blockrun-mcp
- GitHub stars
- 395
- License
- MIT
- Repo last updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source file
- README.md
What Exa Research is
Exa Research is a skill published in the BlockRunAI/blockrun-mcp repository on GitHub, which has about 395 stars. The repository describes itself as: “Live data for AI agents — search, research, markets, crypto, X/Twitter. Pay-per-call via x402 micropayments.”
A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file: frontmatter with a name and a description, followed by instructions Claude follows. Claude loads a skill automatically when a task matches its description, and you can also run it directly with a slash and its name.
Skills work in Claude Code and in Claude Cowork, which makes Exa Research a portable way to give Claude the same method everywhere.
How to install Exa Research
Claude Code
- Download the exa-research-2 folder from the repository.
- Save it as ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for all projects, or .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for one project.
- Claude loads it automatically when a task matches; you can also run it with / and its name.
Claude Cowork
- Zip the skill folder so SKILL.md sits at the top level of the folder.
- Open Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP.
- Start a task that matches the description, or call it by name with /.
New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.
Inside the source file
An excerpt from README.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.
BlockRun MCP
Real-time data — and real trades — for Claude and any AI agent.
Agents can pay like agents: sign transactions from a wallet. Teams can pay like teams: get a BlockRun API key at user.blockrun.ai , add credit by card or wire, and let the MCP call api.blockrun.ai . BlockRun MCP gives your agent 19 tools — markets, research, web search, images, video, on-chain data, and live Polymarket trading — paid per call. Two ways to pay, same tools: a self-custody wallet (USDC on Solana or Base, no account needed) — or a BlockRun API key backed by account credit. Sign up at user.blockrun.ai → Read the odds and place the bet, from one self-custody wallet.
claude mcp add blockrun -s user -- npx -y @blockrun/mcp@latestWallet auto-created on first run. Fund with $5 USDC — or get a key at user.blockrun.ai , top up by card, and call through api.blockrun.ai . Ask Claude anything.
Every MCP server costs you this. Almost none of them tell you. How we measure it, and how to measure anyone else →
> BlockRun MCP is an open-source Model Context Protocol server that gives Claude — and any MCP-compatible agent — 19 tools for real-time data and real actions: 79 LLMs, image & video generation, prediction-market data, live web/X search, on-chain queries across 40 chains, and the ability to place real, USDC-settled bets on Polymarket.
You pay per call, and you choose how. Wallet mode authenticates with a signature and settles each call in USDC via the x402 protocol — no account, no credit card, no subscription, on Solana or Base. Account mode authenticates with a BlockRun API key (brk_live_…) from user.blockrun.ai, routes service calls through api.blockrun.ai, and draws down card- or wire-funded account credit at exact usage. Same 19 tools either way. MIT licensed.
🏆 First of its kind — the signal → trade loop in Claude Code
Read live Polymarket odds and place the bet, from one self-custody wallet, pay-per-call. Jump to Polymarket trading →
Why BlockRun MCP exists
Every other data integration was built for human developers — create an account, copy an API key into .env, add a credit card, repeat for every vendor.
BlockRun gives you both payment rails without rebuilding the integration. Use a wallet when the agent should self-custody funds, or use an account key when a team wants card-funded credits and a dashboard.
- One wallet, every source — 19 tools behind a single self-custody wallet. No per-vendor signups.
- One account key, every source — mint a key at user.blockrun.ai, top up by card or wire, then the MCP calls api.blockrun.ai with that key.
- No API key required in wallet mode — your wallet signature is authentication.
- No credit card required in wallet mode — pay per request in USDC via x402, fractions of a cent each.
- Starts free — the free tier (blockrun_chat mode:"free", blockrun_dex, crypto blockrun_price, blockrun_models) costs $0.
- Reads and acts — most tools deliver data; blockrun_polymarket places real, confirm-gated trades.
- Human-in-the-loop payments — turn on BLOCKRUN_CONFIRM_SPEND=on and the agent pauses before any paid call above your threshold; nothing is signed until you approve. Details ↓
Before you install
- Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
- Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
- Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
- Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
- Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.
FAQ
What is Exa Research?
Exa Research is a skill for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the BlockRunAI/blockrun-mcp repository on GitHub. Use when researching products, finding academic papers, discovering competitors, reading webpage content, or getting cited answers…
How do I install Exa Research in Claude Code?
Download the exa-research-2 folder from the repository. Save it as ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for all projects, or .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for one project. Claude loads it automatically when a task matches; you can also run it with / and its name.
Can I use Exa Research in Claude Cowork?
Zip the skill folder so SKILL.md sits at the top level of the folder. Open Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP. Start a task that matches the description, or call it by name with /.
Is Exa Research safe to install?
It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.
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