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Overview

This node integrates with the Exa API to perform search operations on content. Specifically, for the "Search" resource and "Search" operation, it allows users to query the Exa content database to retrieve relevant search results based on a user-defined query string. It supports filtering by publication dates, limiting the number of results, including specific domains, and optionally using an autoprompt feature to enhance the query.

Common scenarios where this node is beneficial include:

  • Content discovery workflows where you want to find articles or documents matching certain keywords.
  • Filtering search results by date ranges or domain sources to narrow down relevant content.
  • Automating research tasks by retrieving multiple search results programmatically.
  • Enhancing queries with autoprompt to improve search relevance.

Example: A user wants to find recent articles about "climate change" published between 2023-01-01 and 2023-06-01 from specific news domains, limiting results to 5 entries.

Properties

Name Meaning
Query The search query string to find relevant content.
Additional Fields Collection of optional parameters to refine the search:
- End Published Date Filter results published on or before this date (format YYYY-MM-DD).
- Include Domains Comma-separated list of domains to restrict the search results to.
- Number of Results Maximum number of search results to return (default is 10).
- Start Published Date Filter results published on or after this date (format YYYY-MM-DD).
- Use Autoprompt Boolean flag to enable autoprompt feature that may enhance the search query.

Output

The node outputs a JSON array where each element corresponds to the search results returned by the Exa API for each input item processed.

The structure of each result depends on the Exa API response but generally includes:

  • Search hits or matched content items.
  • Metadata such as highlights or text snippets if requested.
  • Pagination or count information depending on the query parameters.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

  • Requires an active connection to the Exa API via an API key credential.
  • The node expects the API key to be configured in n8n credentials for authentication.
  • Network access to the Exa API endpoint is necessary.

Troubleshooting

  • Common issues:

    • Invalid or missing API key will cause authentication failures.
    • Incorrect date formats in "Start Published Date" or "End Published Date" may lead to errors or no results.
    • Providing empty or overly broad queries might return too many or irrelevant results.
    • Network connectivity problems can cause request timeouts or failures.

  • Error messages:

    • Authentication errors typically indicate invalid or expired API keys; verify and update credentials.
    • Validation errors on date fields suggest incorrect formatting; ensure dates follow YYYY-MM-DD.
    • API rate limits may cause temporary blocking; consider reducing request frequency or upgrading plan.

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