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MIT

Vexor MCP Server

io.github.scarletkc/vexor

Semantic search engine for files and code with configurable embeddings and reranking.

What is the Vexor MCP server?

Vexor is a semantic search engine that builds reusable indexes over files and code. It supports configurable embedding and reranking providers, and exposes core functionality through a Python API, CLI tool, and MCP server. Use it to find files by what they do rather than by name or grep patterns.

Vexor enables semantic file discovery by indexing code and files, then searching them by meaning rather than keywords. It's designed for both humans and AI coding assistants, supporting multiple embedding providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Voyage AI, local models) and reranking strategies (hybrid, BM25, FlashRank). The MCP server exposes search and indexing as native tools for any MCP-capable agent.

How to install Vexor

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio
Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.
Environment / auth
  • VEXOR_API_KEY
    secret

    Embedding provider API key (optional; overrides a stored key; providers can also be configured via `vexor init`)

  • VEXOR_REMOTE_RERANK_API_KEY
    secret

    Remote reranker API key (optional; overrides a stored key; only needed when rerank is set to remote)

  • VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON

    Non-secret Vexor config as a JSON object, e.g. {"provider": "gemini", "rerank": "bm25"} (optional; merged over ~/.vexor/config.json; credential fields are rejected, use the dedicated variables)

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vexor": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "vexor",
        "mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VEXOR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_VEXOR_API_KEY>",
        "VEXOR_REMOTE_RERANK_API_KEY": "<YOUR_VEXOR_REMOTE_RERANK_API_KEY>",
        "VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON": "<YOUR_VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

  • vexor_search — Semantic file search that returns matching source text, reducing need for follow-up file reads.
  • vexor_index — Explicit index warm-up to pre-compute embeddings for a directory or project.

Use cases

  • Find files by semantic meaning when you remember what they do but not their name or location
  • Integrate semantic search into autonomous AI agent workflows for intelligent file discovery
  • Search code repositories across multiple projects with configurable embedding models
  • Pre-index directories in CI/CD pipelines for faster agent-assisted code navigation
  • Use hybrid ranking (semantic + keyword) to balance relevance and exact matches

Vexor MCP server FAQ

What is Vexor?

Vexor is a semantic search engine that indexes files and code, then finds them by meaning rather than by name or grep patterns. It works as a CLI tool, Python library, and MCP server.

Is Vexor free?

Vexor is open-source (MIT license) and free to use. It requires an API key for remote embedding providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Voyage AI) or can run fully offline with local embedding models.

How do I use Vexor with Claude or Cursor?

Install via `pip install vexor`, then add the MCP server to your client config: `vexor mcp` command. For Claude Code, use `claude mcp add vexor -- vexor mcp`. No prior setup needed if you supply API keys via environment variables.

What embedding providers does Vexor support?

Vexor supports OpenAI (default), Gemini, Voyage AI, custom providers, and local embedding models for fully offline use.

Can I use Vexor without an API key?

Yes. Vexor supports fully offline operation with local embedding models. Configure via `vexor init` or set `VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON` with a local provider.

What reranking strategies are available?

Vexor supports hybrid (semantic + keyword fusion), BM25, FlashRank, and remote reranking. Configure via `vexor config --rerank` or in project-level config.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

<div align="center"> <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scarletkc/vexor/refs/heads/main/assets/vexor.svg" alt="Vexor" width="35%" height="auto">

Vexor

Python PyPI CI Codecov License Ask DeepWiki

</div>

Vexor is a semantic search engine that builds reusable indexes over files and code. It supports configurable embedding and reranking providers, and exposes the same core through a Python API, a CLI tool, and an MCP server.

<video src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4d53eefd-ab35-4232-98a7-f8dc005983a9" controls="controls" style="max-width: 600px;"> Vexor Demo Video </video>

Featured In

Vexor has been recognized and featured by the community:

Why Vexor?

When you remember what a file does but forget its name or location, Vexor finds it instantly—no grep patterns or directory traversal needed.

Designed for both humans and AI coding assistants, enabling semantic file discovery in autonomous agent workflows.

Install

Download standalone binary from releases (no Python required), or:

pip install vexor  # also works with pipx, uv

Quick Start

0. Guided Setup (Recommended)

vexor init

The wizard also runs automatically on first use when no config exists.

1. Search

vexor "api client config"  # defaults to search current directory
# or explicit path:
vexor search "api client config" --path ~/projects/demo --top 5
# in-memory search only:
vexor search "api client config" --no-cache 

Vexor auto-indexes on first search. Example output:

Vexor semantic file search results
──────────────────────────────────
#   Similarity   File path                       Lines   Preview
1   0.923        ./src/config_loader.py          -       config loader entrypoint
2   0.871        ./src/utils/config_parse.py     -       parse config helpers
3   0.809        ./tests/test_config_loader.py   -       tests for config loader

2. Explicit Index (Optional)

vexor index  # indexes current directory
# or explicit path:
vexor index --path ~/projects/demo --mode code

Useful for CI warmup or when auto_index is disabled.

Python API

Vexor can also be imported and used directly from Python:

from vexor import index, search

index(path=".", mode="head")
response = search("config loader", path=".", mode="name")

for hit in response.results:
    print(hit.path, hit.score)

Configuration follows the same global and project-level resolution as the CLI. For runtime overrides, cache controls, and per-call options, see docs/api/python.md.

AI Agent Skill

This repo includes a skill for AI agents to use Vexor effectively:

vexor install --skills claude  # Claude Code
vexor install --skills codex   # Codex

Skill source: plugins/vexor/skills/vexor-cli

MCP Server

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.scarletkc/vexor -->

vexor MCP server

[!NOTE] The Agent Skill and the MCP server provide the same core capability — pick one per agent. The skill teaches shell-capable agents (Claude Code, Codex) to drive the full CLI and assumes vexor is installed on PATH; the MCP server exposes search as native tools, works in any MCP client (Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, ...), and can bootstrap without prior setup via uvx and environment variables.

Vexor ships a built-in MCP stdio server, so any MCP-capable agent can use semantic file search as a native tool:

claude mcp add vexor -- vexor mcp   # Claude Code
codex mcp add vexor -- vexor mcp    # Codex

Or configure manually in any MCP client, optionally supplying the API key and any config overrides via env (no vexor init needed):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vexor": {
      "command": "vexor",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VEXOR_API_KEY": "sk-...",
        "VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON": "{\"provider\": \"gemini\", \"rerank\": \"bm25\"}"
      }
    }
  }
}

The server exposes two tools: vexor_search (semantic file search, returning the matching source text so an agent rarely needs a follow-up file read) and vexor_index (explicit index warm-up). No extra dependencies are required. Vexor is listed on the official MCP registry as io.github.scarletkc/vexor. See docs/mcp.md for tool schemas, environment variables, and client setup details.

Configuration

vexor init                             # guided setup (recommended)
vexor config --set-api-key "YOUR_KEY"  # or env: VEXOR_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY / ...
vexor config --set-provider openai     # default; also gemini/voyageai/custom/local
vexor config --rerank hybrid           # optional: fuse exact keyword + semantic ranking
vexor config --show                    # view effective settings and origins

Global config lives in ~/.vexor/config.json; the nearest <project>/.vexor/config.json can override a restricted set of behavior fields for that project. Non-secret fields can also be injected via VEXOR_CONFIG_JSON (useful for MCP clients and CI), and fully offline use is supported through local embedding models.

See docs/configuration.md for the complete reference: project config fields and precedence, all config commands, API keys and environment variables, rerank strategies (hybrid / BM25 / FlashRank / remote), remote vs local providers, embedding dimensions, and offline local model setup.

CLI Reference

Everyday usage fits in vexor "query", vexor search, and vexor index (see Quick Start). The full command table, common flags, index modes (--mode auto/name/head/brief/full/code/outline), .vexorignore files, project-local indexes (vexor index --local), cache behavior, and porcelain output format are documented in docs/cli.md.

Documentation

  • Configuration — providers, API keys, rerank, embedding dimensions, local models
  • CLI reference — commands, flags, index modes, cache behavior
  • MCP server — client setup, environment variables, tool schemas
  • Python API — programmatic usage

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and PRs welcome! Commit messages and PR titles follow Conventional Commits (e.g. feat(mcp): add stdio server). Star if you find it helpful.

Star History

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License

MIT

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