Search the Web and Build Research Collections Through Exa

Through a Composio custom connector, a muse can search the web through Exa, answer questions with sources attached, find papers similar to one you have, and keep a research collection that updates.

What it does

Exa is a search service built for research. Connected through Composio, the muse can run a search and bring back results, or ask for a direct answer with citations to the pages it came from. It can open pages and return the text, highlights, or a short summary, including pages linked from the first one. Given one good paper, it can find similar ones, a fast way to widen a reading list. The part that sets Exa apart is the collection, called a Webset. The muse can build one around a topic, such as quarterly sales data, add detail to each item, and set a monitor that watches for new results and sends only the fresh ones. Longer jobs can run in the background: the muse starts one, checks its progress, and reports back with findings and citations.

How to use it

1. Make a Composio account, open its Muse page, and copy your API key. The key starts with ck.
2. In a new chat, ask the muse to create a custom connector for the Composio server and open the secure credentials store. Paste the key there, never in the chat.
3. Back in the chat, ask the muse to connect Exa. Follow the sign-in link and approve the access.
4. Start with one question you can judge, such as recent news on a topic you know well.
5. If the results hold up, ask for a collection and a monitor, then check the first update.

What you need

• A Muse account that can add custom connectors
• A free Composio account and its API key
• An Exa account

What to watch for

• A cited answer is easier to check, not automatically right. Open one or two sources yourself before you act on anything that matters.
• Monitors keep working after you stop watching. Set one only for topics you truly want followed, and list your active monitors now and then.
• Background research and collections use your Exa allowance. Ask for the cost and usage on your key before a large job.
• Deleting a collection removes its items. Ask the muse to show what is inside first.
• Never paste the API key into a chat. If you do, treat it as exposed: make a new key, delete the old one, and add the new key through the secure store.