deep_researcher_start
Start an AI research agent that searches, reads, and writes reports
Part of the Exa MCP server. Enforce policies on this tool with Intercept, the open-source MCP proxy.
WHEN AI AGENTS USE THIS TOOL
AI agents call deep_researcher_start to perform operations in Exa. While the risk category is not fully classified, applying a rate limit gives you visibility into how often the tool is called and prevents unexpected bursts of activity from autonomous agents.
WHY ENFORCE A POLICY ON DEEP_RESEARCHER_START
Applying a policy to deep_researcher_start gives you an audit trail of every call an AI agent makes. Even for low-risk tools, visibility into agent behaviour helps you debug issues, optimise workflows, and maintain compliance with your organisation's security requirements.
RECOMMENDED POLICY
Apply a rate limit to control usage and monitor for unexpected behaviour.
tools:
deep_researcher_start:
rules:
- action: allow
rate_limit:
max: 60
window: 60See the full Exa policy for all 8 tools.
DETAILS
MORE EXA TOOLS
company_research_exa Other crawling_exa Other deep_researcher_check Other get_code_context_exa Read people_search_exa Read web_search_advanced_exa Read web_search_exa Read SIMILAR OTHER TOOLS ON OTHER SERVERS
RELATED READING
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does the deep_researcher_start tool do?
Start an AI research agent that searches, reads, and writes reports. It is categorised as a Other tool in the Exa MCP Server, which means it performs auxiliary operations.
How do I enforce a policy on deep_researcher_start?
Add a rule in your Intercept YAML policy under the tools section for deep_researcher_start. You can allow, deny, rate-limit, or validate arguments. Then run Intercept as a proxy in front of the Exa MCP server.
What risk level is deep_researcher_start?
deep_researcher_start is a Other tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Can I rate-limit deep_researcher_start?
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the deep_researcher_start rule in your Intercept policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
How do I block deep_researcher_start completely?
Set action: deny in the Intercept policy for deep_researcher_start. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
What MCP server provides deep_researcher_start?
deep_researcher_start is provided by the Exa MCP server (exa-labs/exa-mcp-server). Intercept sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
ENFORCE POLICIES ON EXA
Open source. One binary. Zero dependencies.