CongressMCP vs Exa Search

A side-by-side comparison of two Search & Web servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	CongressMCP 91+ congressional data tools — bills, votes, members, committees, hearings — via the Congress.gov API. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python	Exa Search Exa's neural web search and crawling MCP server — runs locally via npx or as a hosted remote endpoint. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	32	4.6k
Last commit	3 days ago	19 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx congressmcp`	`npx -y exa-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick CongressMCP if you prefer its approach (91+ congressional data tools — bills, votes, members, committees, hearings — via the congress.gov api).

Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add CongressMCP

Install / run

uvx congressmcp

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "congressmcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "congressmcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CONGRESS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Exa Search

Install / run

npx -y exa-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exa-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "exa-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "EXA_API_KEY": "<your-exa-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

CongressMCP or Exa Search — which is better?

Pick CongressMCP if you prefer its approach (91+ congressional data tools — bills, votes, members, committees, hearings — via the congress.gov api). Pick Exa Search if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both CongressMCP and Exa Search?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do CongressMCP and Exa Search work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View CongressMCP →View Exa Search →More comparisons →