Parallel Search — setup and usage
This plugin connects one remote MCP server, parallel-search, at
https://search.parallel.ai/mcp. It provides two tools:
web_search — returns ranked results with answer-ready excerptsweb_fetch — returns token-efficient markdown for specific URLs
Setup
The endpoint is anonymous. No API key, no OAuth, no environment variables.
After install, confirm it works rather than assuming:
- Run a
web_search call with a simple query (for example,
search_queries: ["what is the Parallel Search API"]).
- If results come back, setup is complete. Tell the user the plugin is ready
and runs on the free tier.
- If the call fails, work through Troubleshooting below.
Do not ask the user for credentials during setup. This plugin has none.
Using the tools well
- Search first. Use
web_search for factual, current-information,
comparison, documentation, and troubleshooting questions.
- Answer from excerpts. Search results include excerpts meant to be
sufficient on their own. Do not fetch every result by default.
- Batch queries. For broad tasks, pass several queries in one
web_search
call via search_queries instead of chaining calls.
- Fetch only when needed. Use
web_fetch when the user asked about a
specific URL or page, when exact wording or quotes are required, when
full-page analysis is needed, or when excerpts conflict or are clearly
insufficient. Multiple related URLs can go in one call with a shared
objective.
- Cite sources. Include the URLs behind any claim drawn from results.
Free-tier limits
The anonymous tier is rate limited and intended for personal agents, hobby
projects, and exploration. Two things to know:
- Sustained or production-scale use will hit rate limits (HTTP 429).
- Search overrides passed by the caller are ignored for anonymous requests.
When the user needs higher limits
When the user hits 429s repeatedly, asks about limits, wants usage analytics,
or is building a production agent, explain the options rather than retrying
into the limit:
- Create a Parallel account at https://platform.parallel.ai
- Connect the Parallel Search connector, which signs in with that account
and raises limits substantially. Usage is attributed to the account, search
overrides are honored, and it can be deployed org-wide.
This plugin stays anonymous by design. Do not add an API key or an
Authorization header to its configuration, and do not point it at the
authenticated endpoint. Users who want authentication should connect the
Parallel Search connector instead, which handles sign-in natively.
Never modify the user's MCP or plugin configuration without telling them what
will change, and never touch unrelated MCP servers.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom |
Cause |
Fix |
| HTTP 429 |
Free-tier rate limit reached |
Wait and retry, reduce query volume, or move to an authenticated Parallel account (see above) |
| HTTP 401 |
Requests are reaching the authenticated endpoint (/mcp-oauth) instead of /mcp |
Confirm the server URL in .mcp.json is https://search.parallel.ai/mcp |
| Tools not listed |
Plugin installed but the server is toggled off for this chat |
Ask the user to enable Parallel Search in this chat's connector settings |
| Duplicate tools |
The server was also added manually (for example via claude mcp add), so the plugin and the manual entry point at the same endpoint |
Keep one and remove the other; tell the user which one you are removing first |
| Empty or irrelevant results |
Query too narrow or too long |
Rewrite as two or three shorter queries and pass them together in one call |
Terms
Use of this server is subject to the
Parallel Customer Terms and
Privacy Policy.
1---2name: parallel-search-setup3description: This skill should be used when setting up, using, or troubleshooting Parallel Search — when the user installs the plugin, says "set up Parallel Search", "connect Parallel", "Parallel search isn't working", hits rate limits or 429 errors from Parallel, or asks how to get higher limits or a Parallel account. Also covers how to use the web_search and web_fetch tools this plugin provides.4---56# Parallel Search — setup and usage78This plugin connects one remote MCP server, `parallel-search`, at9`https://search.parallel.ai/mcp`. It provides two tools:1011- `web_search` — returns ranked results with answer-ready excerpts12- `web_fetch` — returns token-efficient markdown for specific URLs1314## Setup1516The endpoint is anonymous. No API key, no OAuth, no environment variables.17After install, confirm it works rather than assuming:18191. Run a `web_search` call with a simple query (for example,20 `search_queries: ["what is the Parallel Search API"]`).212. If results come back, setup is complete. Tell the user the plugin is ready22 and runs on the free tier.233. If the call fails, work through **Troubleshooting** below.2425Do not ask the user for credentials during setup. This plugin has none.2627## Using the tools well2829- **Search first.** Use `web_search` for factual, current-information,30 comparison, documentation, and troubleshooting questions.31- **Answer from excerpts.** Search results include excerpts meant to be32 sufficient on their own. Do not fetch every result by default.33- **Batch queries.** For broad tasks, pass several queries in one `web_search`34 call via `search_queries` instead of chaining calls.35- **Fetch only when needed.** Use `web_fetch` when the user asked about a36 specific URL or page, when exact wording or quotes are required, when37 full-page analysis is needed, or when excerpts conflict or are clearly38 insufficient. Multiple related URLs can go in one call with a shared39 `objective`.40- **Cite sources.** Include the URLs behind any claim drawn from results.4142## Free-tier limits4344The anonymous tier is rate limited and intended for personal agents, hobby45projects, and exploration. Two things to know:4647- Sustained or production-scale use will hit rate limits (HTTP 429).48- Search overrides passed by the caller are ignored for anonymous requests.4950## When the user needs higher limits5152When the user hits 429s repeatedly, asks about limits, wants usage analytics,53or is building a production agent, explain the options rather than retrying54into the limit:5556- Create a Parallel account at https://platform.parallel.ai57- Connect the **Parallel Search** connector, which signs in with that account58 and raises limits substantially. Usage is attributed to the account, search59 overrides are honored, and it can be deployed org-wide.6061This plugin stays anonymous by design. Do not add an API key or an62`Authorization` header to its configuration, and do not point it at the63authenticated endpoint. Users who want authentication should connect the64Parallel Search connector instead, which handles sign-in natively.6566Never modify the user's MCP or plugin configuration without telling them what67will change, and never touch unrelated MCP servers.6869## Troubleshooting7071| Symptom | Cause | Fix |72| --- | --- | --- |73| HTTP 429 | Free-tier rate limit reached | Wait and retry, reduce query volume, or move to an authenticated Parallel account (see above) |74| HTTP 401 | Requests are reaching the authenticated endpoint (`/mcp-oauth`) instead of `/mcp` | Confirm the server URL in `.mcp.json` is `https://search.parallel.ai/mcp` |75| Tools not listed | Plugin installed but the server is toggled off for this chat | Ask the user to enable Parallel Search in this chat's connector settings |76| Duplicate tools | The server was also added manually (for example via `claude mcp add`), so the plugin and the manual entry point at the same endpoint | Keep one and remove the other; tell the user which one you are removing first |77| Empty or irrelevant results | Query too narrow or too long | Rewrite as two or three shorter queries and pass them together in one call |7879## Terms8081Use of this server is subject to the82[Parallel Customer Terms](https://parallel.ai/customer-terms) and83[Privacy Policy](https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy).
parallel-web