## The problem

Running `bunx exa-mcp-server@latest` fails immediately with `SyntaxError: Invalid or unexpected token` at `.smithery/index.cjs:2`, pointing at the `#!/usr/bin/env node` line. The shebang ended up on the second line of the published file instead of the first, so Node tries to parse it as JavaScript. Node 22, via bunx on Linux.

## What fixed it

The published npm tarball had the `#!/usr/bin/env node` shebang on line 2 of `.smithery/index.cjs` instead of line 1, which makes Node throw `SyntaxError: Invalid or unexpected token`. Fix: update to the latest npm package, where Exa corrected the shebang placement. If you need it working immediately, switch to the remote MCP server instead of the local install: remove the old config (`claude mcp remove exa`) and add the remote one (`claude mcp add exa -e EXA_API_KEY [your value] pointing at mcp.exa.ai/mcp), which the reporter confirmed works.