fix(exa): address review findings on the API refresh

- A run already terminal on creation went through a path that never set
  success=false, so a failed or cancelled run reported as successful.
  Both the create path and the poll loop now settle through one function.
- Routing exa_research to Agent dropped the research output shape, so
  saved workflows referencing research[0].text resolved to undefined. The
  agent tool now also emits that legacy shape.
- The Agent operation's inputs are conditioned on both exa_agent and
  exa_research so the serializer keeps carrying a stored research query;
  it drops any value whose sub-block condition no longer matches.
- Dropped the model to effort mapping and the unused ExaResearchParams:
  the serializer drops values for removed sub-blocks, so model never
  reached the params function.

Author: waleedlatif1

apps/docs/content/docs/en/integrations/exa.mdx

@@ -235,5 +235,6 @@ Run a deep research task with Exa Agent. Handles multi-step list building, enric
 | `text` | string | The written answer produced by the agent |
 | `structured` | json | Structured result matching outputSchema, when one was supplied |
 | `grounding` | json | Field-level citations backing the agent output |
+| `research` | array | The agent answer in the shape the retired Research operation emitted, so workflows that reference it keep resolving |
 
 

apps/sim/blocks/blocks/exa.ts

@@ -17,16 +17,13 @@ const CATEGORY_OPTIONS = [
 /**
  * Exa retired `/research/v1` (HTTP 410) and replaced it with the Agent API.
  * Workflows saved against the old Research operation are routed to the Agent
- * tool so they keep running instead of failing against a dead endpoint.
+ * tool so they keep running instead of failing against a dead endpoint. The
+ * Agent operation's inputs are conditioned on both ids so the serializer keeps
+ * carrying a stored research query forward — it drops any value whose sub-block
+ * condition no longer matches.
  */
 const LEGACY_RESEARCH_OPERATION = 'exa_research'
-
-/** Maps the retired research models onto the Agent API's effort levels. */
-const RESEARCH_MODEL_TO_EFFORT: Record<string, string> = {
-  'exa-research-fast': 'low',
-  'exa-research': 'medium',
-  'exa-research-pro': 'high',
-}
+const AGENT_OPERATIONS = ['exa_agent', LEGACY_RESEARCH_OPERATION]
 
 export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
   type: 'exa',
@@ -378,7 +375,7 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
       title: 'Research Query',
       type: 'long-input',
       placeholder: 'Enter your research topic or question...',
-      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'exa_agent' },
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: AGENT_OPERATIONS },
       required: true,
     },
     {
@@ -394,7 +391,7 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
         { label: 'Extra High', id: 'xhigh' },
       ],
       value: () => 'auto',
-      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'exa_agent' },
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: AGENT_OPERATIONS },
     },
     {
       id: 'outputSchema',
@@ -403,15 +400,15 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
       language: 'json',
       placeholder: '{\n  "type": "object",\n  "properties": {}\n}',
       description: 'JSON Schema describing the structured result to return',
-      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'exa_agent' },
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: AGENT_OPERATIONS },
       mode: 'advanced',
     },
     {
       id: 'systemPrompt',
       title: 'System Prompt',
       type: 'long-input',
       placeholder: 'Guidance for how the agent should behave...',
-      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'exa_agent' },
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: AGENT_OPERATIONS },
       mode: 'advanced',
     },
     {
@@ -420,7 +417,7 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
       type: 'short-input',
       placeholder: 'agent_run_...',
       description: 'Continue from a completed agent run for follow-up questions',
-      condition: { field: 'operation', value: 'exa_agent' },
+      condition: { field: 'operation', value: AGENT_OPERATIONS },
       mode: 'advanced',
     },
     // Find Similar Links operation inputs
@@ -559,10 +556,6 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
         if (params.livecrawlTimeout) {
           result.livecrawlTimeout = Number(params.livecrawlTimeout)
         }
-        /** Carry a retired research model over to the Agent API's effort scale. */
-        if (params.operation === LEGACY_RESEARCH_OPERATION && params.model) {
-          result.effort = RESEARCH_MODEL_TO_EFFORT[params.model as string] ?? 'medium'
-        }
         return result
       },
     },
@@ -622,6 +615,10 @@ export const ExaBlock: BlockConfig<ExaResponse> = {
     stopReason: { type: 'string', description: 'Why the agent stopped' },
     text: { type: 'string', description: 'Agent written answer' },
     structured: { type: 'json', description: 'Agent structured result' },
+    research: {
+      type: 'json',
+      description: 'Agent answer in the retired Research operation output shape',
+    },
   },
 }
 

apps/sim/tools/exa/agent.ts

@@ -130,8 +130,9 @@ export const agentTool: ToolConfig<ExaAgentParams, ExaAgentResponse> = {
       return { ...result, success: false, error: 'Exa agent run did not return a run ID' }
     }
 
+    /** A run can already be terminal on creation, including a failed one. */
     if (TERMINAL_STATUSES.has(result.output.status ?? '')) {
-      return finalize(result)
+      return settle(result)
     }
 
     logger.info(`Exa agent run ${runId} created, polling for completion`)
@@ -169,15 +170,7 @@ export const agentTool: ToolConfig<ExaAgentParams, ExaAgentResponse> = {
           __costDollars: runData.costDollars,
         }
 
-        if (runData.status !== 'completed') {
-          return {
-            ...result,
-            success: false,
-            error: `Exa agent run ${runData.status}${runData.stopReason ? `: ${runData.stopReason}` : ''}`,
-          }
-        }
-
-        return finalize(result)
+        return settle(result)
       } catch (error) {
         logger.error('Error polling Exa agent run status', {
           message: getErrorMessage(error, 'Unknown error'),
@@ -224,16 +217,68 @@ export const agentTool: ToolConfig<ExaAgentParams, ExaAgentResponse> = {
       description: 'Field-level citations backing the agent output',
       optional: true,
     },
+    research: {
+      type: 'array',
+      description:
+        'The agent answer in the shape the retired Research operation emitted, so workflows that reference it keep resolving',
+      items: {
+        type: 'object',
+        properties: {
+          title: { type: 'string' },
+          url: { type: 'string' },
+          summary: { type: 'string' },
+          text: { type: 'string' },
+          score: { type: 'number' },
+        },
+      },
+    },
   },
 }
 
 /**
- * A run that satisfies its schema can finish with an empty `text` body, so fall
- * back to the structured payload rather than returning a blank answer.
+ * Resolves a terminal run into a tool result.
+ *
+ * A run can reach a terminal status either on creation or while polling, and a
+ * `failed` or `cancelled` run must surface as a tool failure from both paths —
+ * routing them through here keeps the two in step.
  */
-function finalize(result: ExaAgentResponse): ExaAgentResponse {
+function settle(result: ExaAgentResponse): ExaAgentResponse {
+  const { status, stopReason } = result.output
+
+  if (status !== 'completed') {
+    return {
+      ...result,
+      success: false,
+      error: `Exa agent run ${status}${stopReason ? `: ${stopReason}` : ''}`,
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * A run that satisfies its schema can finish with an empty `text` body, so
+   * fall back to the structured payload rather than returning a blank answer.
+   */
   if (!result.output.text && result.output.structured !== undefined) {
     result.output.text = JSON.stringify(result.output.structured, null, 2)
   }
+
+  result.output.research = buildLegacyResearchOutput(result.output.text)
+
   return result
 }
+
+/**
+ * Mirrors the one-element array the retired Research operation returned. Saved
+ * workflows routed here from `exa_research` reference `research[0].text` and
+ * `research[0].summary`, which would otherwise resolve to undefined.
+ */
+function buildLegacyResearchOutput(text: string) {
+  return [
+    {
+      title: 'Research Complete',
+      url: '',
+      summary: text,
+      text,
+      score: 1,
+    },
+  ]
+}

apps/sim/tools/exa/exa-compat.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/**
+ * Guards backwards compatibility for Exa workflows saved before the API refresh.
+ *
+ * The serializer (`extractBlockParams`) decides which stored sub-block values
+ * survive: a value whose sub-block config was removed is dropped, and a value
+ * whose sub-block condition does not match the current operation is dropped too
+ * (an `advanced` field still serializes when it holds a non-empty stored value).
+ * These tests assert the block config satisfies those rules, since the config is
+ * what drives that behavior.
+ *
+ * @vitest-environment node
+ */
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { ExaBlock } from '@/blocks/blocks/exa'
+import { agentTool } from '@/tools/exa/agent'
+import { searchTool } from '@/tools/exa/search'
+
+/** Drives postProcess against a run that is already terminal on creation. */
+async function settleRun(status: string, stopReason: string | null = null) {
+  return agentTool.postProcess?.(
+    {
+      success: true,
+      output: {
+        runId: 'agent_run_1',
+        status,
+        stopReason,
+        text: status === 'completed' ? 'the answer' : '',
+      },
+    } as never,
+    { apiKey: 'k', query: 'q' } as never,
+    {} as never
+  )
+}
+
+const subBlockIds = new Set(ExaBlock.subBlocks.map((subBlock) => subBlock.id))
+
+function conditionValues(id: string): unknown[] {
+  return ExaBlock.subBlocks
+    .filter((subBlock) => subBlock.id === id)
+    .flatMap((subBlock) => {
+      const value = subBlock.condition?.value
+      return Array.isArray(value) ? value : [value]
+    })
+}
+
+describe('legacy Exa workflow replay', () => {
+  it('drops livecrawl and useAutoprompt, which no sub-block declares any more', () => {
+    expect(subBlockIds.has('livecrawl')).toBe(false)
+    expect(subBlockIds.has('useAutoprompt')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('routes a saved research operation to the agent tool', () => {
+    expect(ExaBlock.tools.config?.tool?.({ operation: 'exa_research' })).toBe('exa_agent')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps carrying a stored research query, whose condition still matches', () => {
+    expect(conditionValues('query')).toContain('exa_research')
+  })
+
+  it('carries the agent inputs across for a replayed research operation', () => {
+    for (const id of ['effort', 'outputSchema', 'systemPrompt', 'previousRunId']) {
+      expect(conditionValues(id)).toContain('exa_research')
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('still declares the deprecated crawl-date filters so saved values survive', () => {
+    expect(subBlockIds.has('startCrawlDate')).toBe(true)
+    expect(subBlockIds.has('endCrawlDate')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('still sends a legacy search type and remaps a retired category', () => {
+    const body = searchTool.request.body?.({
+      query: 'q',
+      apiKey: 'k',
+      type: 'neural',
+      category: 'news_article',
+    } as never) as Record<string, any>
+    expect(body.type).toBe('neural')
+    expect(body.category).toBe('news')
+  })
+
+  it('emits the retired research output shape so downstream references resolve', async () => {
+    const settled = await settleRun('completed')
+    expect(settled?.output.research).toEqual([
+      { title: 'Research Complete', url: '', summary: 'the answer', text: 'the answer', score: 1 },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('sends no freshness control when a workflow configured none', () => {
+    const body = searchTool.request.body?.({
+      query: 'q',
+      apiKey: 'k',
+      text: true,
+    } as never) as Record<string, any>
+    expect(body.contents.livecrawl).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(body.contents.maxAgeHours).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})

apps/sim/tools/exa/exa.test.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  */
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { ExaBlock } from '@/blocks/blocks/exa'
+import { agentTool } from '@/tools/exa/agent'
 import { answerTool } from '@/tools/exa/answer'
 import { findSimilarLinksTool } from '@/tools/exa/find_similar_links'
 import { getContentsTool } from '@/tools/exa/get_contents'
@@ -169,22 +170,6 @@ describe('exa block', () => {
     expect(ExaBlock.tools.config?.tool?.({ operation: 'exa_research' })).toBe('exa_agent')
   })
 
-  it('maps a saved research model onto an agent effort level', () => {
-    const params = ExaBlock.tools.config?.params?.({
-      operation: 'exa_research',
-      model: 'exa-research-pro',
-    }) as Record<string, unknown>
-    expect(params.effort).toBe('high')
-  })
-
-  it('does not leak an effort value onto non-research operations', () => {
-    const params = ExaBlock.tools.config?.params?.({
-      operation: 'exa_search',
-      model: 'exa-research-pro',
-    }) as Record<string, unknown>
-    expect(params.effort).toBeUndefined()
-  })
-
   it('coerces maxAgeHours of 0 rather than dropping it as falsy', () => {
     const params = ExaBlock.tools.config?.params?.({
       operation: 'exa_search',
@@ -219,6 +204,46 @@ describe('exa block', () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe('exa_agent terminal statuses', () => {
+  const settle = (status: string, stopReason: string | null = null) =>
+    agentTool.postProcess?.(
+      {
+        success: true,
+        output: { runId: 'agent_run_1', status, stopReason, text: '', structured: { a: 1 } },
+      } as never,
+      { apiKey: API_KEY, query: 'q' } as never,
+      {} as never
+    )
+
+  it('reports a run that is already failed on creation as a failure', async () => {
+    const result = await settle('failed', 'error')
+    expect(result?.success).toBe(false)
+    expect(result?.error).toMatch(/failed: error/)
+  })
+
+  it('reports a cancelled run as a failure', async () => {
+    const result = await settle('cancelled')
+    expect(result?.success).toBe(false)
+    expect(result?.error).toMatch(/cancelled/)
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to the structured payload when a completed run has no text', async () => {
+    const result = await settle('completed')
+    expect(result?.success).toBe(true)
+    expect(result?.output.text).toBe(JSON.stringify({ a: 1 }, null, 2))
+  })
+
+  it('fails when the create call returns no run ID', async () => {
+    const result = await agentTool.postProcess?.(
+      { success: true, output: { text: '' } } as never,
+      { apiKey: API_KEY, query: 'q' } as never,
+      {} as never
+    )
+    expect(result?.success).toBe(false)
+    expect(result?.error).toMatch(/run ID/)
+  })
+})
+
 describe('find similar links', () => {
   it('is marked deprecated so new workflows prefer search', () => {
     expect(findSimilarLinksTool.description).toMatch(/deprecated/i)