| name | parallel-web-search |
| description | DEFAULT for all research and web queries. Use for any lookup, research, investigation, or question needing current info. Fast and cost-effective. Only use parallel-deep-research if user explicitly requests 'deep' or 'exhaustive' research. |
| user-invocable | true |
| argument-hint | <query> |
| context | fork |
| agent | parallel:parallel-subagent |
| compatibility | Requires parallel-cli and internet access. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(parallel-cli:*) |
| metadata | {"author":"parallel"} |
Web Search
Search the web for: $ARGUMENTS
Command
Choose a short, descriptive filename based on the query (e.g., ai-chip-news, react-vs-vue). Use lowercase with hyphens, no spaces.
parallel-cli search "$ARGUMENTS" -q "<keyword1>" -q "<keyword2>" --json --max-results 10 --excerpt-max-chars-total 27000 -o "/tmp/$FILENAME.json"
The first argument is the objective — a natural language description of what you're looking for. It replaces multiple keyword searches with a single call for broad or complex queries. Add -q flags for specific keyword queries to supplement the objective. The -o flag saves the full results to a JSON file for follow-up questions.
Options if needed:
--after-date YYYY-MM-DD for time-sensitive queries--include-domains domain1.com,domain2.com to limit to specific sources
Parsing results
Do not set max_output_tokens on the command execution — the output is already bounded by --max-results and --excerpt-max-chars-total. Capping output tokens will truncate the JSON and break parsing.
Parse the JSON from stdout. For each result, extract:
- title, url, publish_date
- Useful content from excerpts (skip navigation noise like menus, footers, "Skip to content")
Response format
CRITICAL: Every claim must have an inline citation. Use markdown links like Title pulling only from the JSON output. Never invent or guess URLs.
Synthesize a response that:
- Leads with the key answer/finding
- Includes specific facts, names, numbers, dates
- Cites every fact inline as Source Title — do not leave any claim uncited
- Organizes by theme if multiple topics
End with a Sources section listing every URL referenced:
Sources:
- [Source Title](https://example.com/article) (Feb 2026)
- [Another Source](https://example.com/other) (Jan 2026)
This Sources section is mandatory. Do not omit it.
After the Sources section, mention the output file path () so the user knows it's available for follow-up questions.
