| name | parallel-web-search |
| description | Performs agentic web search using Parallel AI. Use when user needs current web information, research, fact-checking, news, or real-time data beyond training cutoff. |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read |
Parallel Web Search
Agentic web search optimized for LLM workflows using Parallel AI API.
When to Use
- User needs current/real-time information
- User asks about recent events or news
- User needs to fact-check or verify claims
- User wants to research a topic with citations
- User needs information beyond training data cutoff
Requirements
Environment variable must be set:
PARALLEL_API_KEY - Parallel AI API key
Command
./scripts/parallel_search search -o "objective" [-q "query"] [-n limit]
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|
-o, --objective | Natural language search goal (required) |
-q, --query | Additional keyword queries (can repeat) |
-n, --limit | Max results 1-20 (default: 10) |
-c, --max-chars | Max chars per excerpt (default: 500) |
-d, --domain | Restrict to domains (can repeat) |
-f, --format | Output: json (default) or table |
Output Format
Default JSON for LLM parsing:
{
"objective": "Find recent AI regulation news",
"queries": ["AI regulation 2024", "EU AI Act"],
"results": [
{
"title": "EU AI Act Implementation Timeline",
"url": "https://example.com/article",
"excerpt": "The European Union's AI Act...",
"publish_date": "2024-12-15"
}
]
}
Examples
Basic search:
./scripts/parallel_search search -o "What are the latest developments in fusion energy?"
With keyword queries (improves results):
./scripts/parallel_search search \
-o "Recent breakthroughs in quantum computing" \
-q "quantum computing 2024" \
-q "quantum supremacy"
Restrict to specific domains:
./scripts/parallel_search search \
-o "Climate change research findings" \
-d "nature.com" \
-d "science.org" \
-n 5
Human-readable table output:
./scripts/parallel_search search -o "AI safety news" -f table
Best Practices
- Use both objective AND queries - Objective provides context, queries ensure keyword coverage
- Be specific - Include timeframes, sources preferences, or content types
- Limit results for efficiency - Use
-n 5 for quick lookups
- Domain filtering - Use
-d for authoritative sources on specific topics
