Parallel Web Search
CLI-backed web search. Use when the user explicitly invokes this skill, needs CLI-only controls or saved JSON output, or no Parallel web_search MCP tool is available. When the bundled Parallel Search MCP is available, prefer its web_search tool for ordinary lookups and current-information queries. Only use parallel-deep-research if the user explicitly requests deep or exhaustive research.
- Skill ID
- parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills/parallel-web-search
- Publisher
- parallel-web
- Repository
- parallel-agent-skills
- Installs
- 0
- Files
- 1
- Requires
- Requires parallel-cli and internet access.
- Synced
- Sep 23, 2026
Open any RiverX project, open the Skills panel in the chat, and search for this identifier. The files are fetched from the source repository at install time.
parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills/parallel-web-searchInstalls these files- SKILL.md
What this skill tells the agent
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. Substitute it into the command inline — $FILENAME and <keyword> below are placeholders, not shell variables; do not copy them verbatim.
parallel-cli search "$ARGUMENTS" -q "<keyword1>" -q "<keyword2>" --json --max-results 10 --excerpt-max-chars-total 27000 -o "/tmp/$FILENAME.json"Concrete example for a query about React 19:
parallel-cli search "latest React 19 features and adoption" -q "React 19" -q "concurrent rendering" --json --max-results 10 --excerpt-max-chars-total 27000 -o "/tmp/react-19-features.json"The first argument is the objective — a natural language description of what you're looking for. It replaces multiple keyword searches with a single call for broad or complex queries. Add -q flags for specific keyword queries to supplement the objective. The -o flag saves the full results to a JSON file for follow-up questions.
Options if needed:
--after-date YYYY-MM-DDfor time-sensitive queries--include-domains domain1.com,domain2.comto limit to specific sources--exclude-domains domain.comto filter out noisy sources--mode turbofor simple fact lookups where speed and cost matter most (p50 ~200ms, lowest cost). English and Japanese queries only--mode fastfor high-quality search within a ~1s latency budget--mode advancedfor harder questions (multi-step, agentic search). Defaultbasicis right for almost everything; escalate toadvancedonly when basic results are insufficient, and drop toturbofor high-volume simple lookups--location us(ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) for geo-targeted results
Parsing results
Do not set max_output_tokens on the command execution — the output is already bounded by --max-results and --excerpt-max-chars-total. Capping output tokens will truncate the JSON and break parsing.
Prefer reading from the saved `-o` file, not stdout. Even bounded output regularly exceeds harness stdout limits and gets truncated. Read /tmp/$FILENAME.json for the authoritative payload. 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 (/tmp/$FILENAME.json) so the user knows it's available for follow-up questions.
Setup
If parallel-cli is not found, install and authenticate:
/parallel:parallel-cli-setupIf parallel-cli search returns 403, tell the user balance is likely required. Offer to run parallel-cli balance get, and if needed ask for explicit confirmation before running parallel-cli balance add <amount_cents>. Then retry the original search command.
More from parallel-web
Use this skill in a project
Open any RiverX project, search the Skills panel for parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills/parallel-web-search, and install it in one click.
