parallel-search

name	parallel-search
description	AI-powered web search via Parallel API. Returns ranked results with LLM-optimized excerpts. Use for up-to-date research, fact-checking, and domain-scoped searching. Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"gagan114662"}

Parallel Search

High-accuracy web search built for AI agents. Returns ranked results with intelligent excerpts optimized for LLM consumption.

Preflight (Required)

Before running this skill:

1. Prefer native OpenClaw tools first:
   • web_search (if configured)
   • browser (for interactive browsing)
   • web_fetch (for direct URL retrieval)
2. Use parallel-cli only when:
   • the user explicitly asks for Parallel search, or
   • native tools are unavailable and parallel-cli exists on PATH.
3. If parallel-cli is missing, do not block the user on installation by default. Continue with native OpenClaw tools or local docs.

When to Use

Trigger this skill when the user asks for:

• "search the web", "web search", "look up", "find online"
• "current news about...", "latest updates on..."
• "research [topic]", "what's happening with..."
• Fact-checking with citations needed
• Domain-specific searches (e.g., "search GitHub for...", "find on Reddit...")

Quick Start

command -v parallel-cli >/dev/null && parallel-cli search "your query" --json --max-results 5

CLI Reference

Basic Usage

parallel-cli search "<objective>" [options]

Common Flags

Flag	Description
-q, --query "<keyword>"	Add keyword filter (repeatable, 3-8 recommended)
--max-results N	Number of results (1-20, default: 10)
--json	Output as JSON
--after-date YYYY-MM-DD	Filter for recent content
--include-domains domain.com	Limit to specific domains (repeatable, max 10)
--exclude-domains domain.com	Exclude domains (repeatable, max 10)
--excerpt-max-chars-total N	Limit total excerpt size (default: 8000)

Examples

Basic search:

parallel-cli search "When was the United Nations founded?" --json --max-results 5

With keyword filters:

parallel-cli search "Latest developments in quantum computing" \
  -q "quantum" -q "computing" -q "2026" \
  --json --max-results 10

Domain-scoped search:

parallel-cli search "React hooks best practices" \
  --include-domains react.dev --include-domains github.com \
  --json --max-results 5

Recent news only:

parallel-cli search "AI regulation news" \
  --after-date 2026-01-01 \
  --json --max-results 10

Best-Practice Prompting

Objective

Write 1-3 sentences describing:

• The real task context (why you need the info)
• Freshness constraints ("prefer 2026+", "latest docs")
• Preferred sources ("official docs", "news sites")

Keyword Queries

Add 3-8 keyword queries including:

• Specific terms, version numbers, error strings
• Common synonyms
• Date terms if relevant ("2026", "Jan 2026")

Response Format

Returns structured JSON with:

• search_id — unique identifier
• results[] — array of results:
  • url — source URL
  • title — page title
  • excerpts[] — relevant text excerpts
  • publish_date — when available

Output Handling

When turning results into a user-facing answer:

• Prefer official/primary sources when possible
• Quote or paraphrase only the relevant extracted text
• Include URL + publish_date for transparency
• If results disagree, present both and note the discrepancy

Running Out of Context?

For long conversations, save results and use sessions_spawn:

parallel-cli search "<query>" --json -o /tmp/search-<topic>.json

Then spawn a sub-agent:

{
  "tool": "sessions_spawn",
  "task": "Read /tmp/search-<topic>.json and synthesize a summary with sources.",
  "label": "search-summary"
}

Error Handling

Exit Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Unexpected error (network, parse)
2	Invalid arguments
3	API error (non-2xx)

Prerequisites

1. Get an API key at parallel.ai
2. Install the CLI:

curl -fsSL https://parallel.ai/install.sh | bash
export PARALLEL_API_KEY=your-key

References

• API Docs
• Search API Reference

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