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Connect Exa to VS Code

Give VS Code governed access to Exa’s 3 tools through Runlayer, with identity, policy, scanning, and audit on every call.

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Set up

Add Exa to VS Code in four steps

Admins approve the server once. Everyone in VS Code then gets it through the same governed connection.

  1. 1

    Approve Exa in Runlayer

    Add Exa from the catalog and choose who can use it and which of its tools are allowed.

  2. 2

    Connect VS Code to Runlayer

    Runlayer’s CLI installs the Runlayer Plugin natively in VS Code; users can also add it over MCP. With direct tool listing turned on for your deployment, Exa’s 3 tools show up in VS Code’s own tool list (VS Code 1.103 or newer).

    VS Code setup guide
  3. 3

    Sign in to Exa

    Sign in the way Exa requires. Runlayer holds the credentials so they stay out of the client’s configuration.

  4. 4

    Use Exa from VS Code

    Exa’s approved tools appear in VS Code. Every call is checked against policy and recorded.

Tools

3 Exa tools in VS Code

Runlayer policy decides which of these VS Code users can call. 1 read data only.

  • Agent run

    Start or resume an Exa Agent run for multi-step research, list-building, or enrichment.

  • Web fetch Exa

    Read a webpage's full content as clean markdown.

  • Web search Exa

    Search the web for any topic and get clean, ready-to-use content.

Control

What Runlayer can see and stop in VS Code

Some controls apply to every client at the gateway. Others depend on what VS Code exposes to Runlayer.

  • Gateway policy (available)

    Every Exa call from VS Code passes through Runlayer, where your policies can allow, alert, mask, or block it.

  • Audit trail (available)

    Each call is recorded with the user, VS Code as the client, the tool, and the policy and scanner decisions.

  • Client hooks (available)

    Capture supported prompts, reasoning, local and MCP tool calls, responses, and scanner decisions in real time.

  • Stop a call before it runs (available)

    Runlayer can deny a tool call before VS Code runs it.

  • Block output after it runs (available)

    Runlayer can block a tool’s output before VS Code’s model sees it.

  • Redact output in place (available)

    Runlayer can mask sensitive parts of a tool’s output in VS Code and pass the rest through.

Frequently asked questions

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