Parallel Research

Overview

Deep web research, competitive intelligence, entity discovery, and data enrichment using Parallel AI's specialized APIs.

Quick Decision Tree

What do you need?
│
├── Quick factual answer (3-5 seconds)
│   └── Chat API ($0.005/request)
│   └── Script: scripts/parallel_research.py chat "question"
│
├── Comprehensive research report (5min-2hr)
│   └── Deep Research API ($0.30/report for ultra)
│   └── Script: scripts/parallel_research.py research "topic"
│
├── Find entities matching criteria (companies, people)
│   └── FindAll API ($0.03 + $0.10/match)
│   └── Script: scripts/parallel_research.py findall "query"
│
└── Enrich existing data (add fields to records)
    └── Task API with schema ($0.025/record for core)
    └── Script: scripts/parallel_research.py enrich data.csv

Environment Setup

# Required in .env
PARALLEL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Get your API key: https://platform.parallel.ai/settings/api-keys

Common Usage

Quick Q&A

python scripts/parallel_research.py chat "What is Anthropic's latest funding round?"

Deep Research Report

python scripts/parallel_research.py research "Competitive landscape of AI code editors in 2025" --processor ultra

Find Companies

python scripts/parallel_research.py findall "AI code editor companies that raised funding in 2024-2025" --limit 50

Basic Research (Simplified)

python scripts/basic_research.py "Company Name"

Vendor Selection

python scripts/vendor_selection.py "CRM software" --requirements "enterprise,API,automation"

Processor Tiers

Processor	Cost/1K	Latency	Best For
`lite`	$5	10-60s	Basic metadata
`base`	$10	15-100s	Simple research
`core`	$25	1-5min	Cross-referenced research
`pro`	$100	2-10min	Exploratory research
`ultra`	$300	5-25min	Deep research (recommended)
`ultra-fast`	$300	2-10min	Speed + quality

Cost Estimates

Task	API	Cost
100 quick questions	Chat	$0.50
Market research report	Deep Research (ultra)	$0.30
Find 50 competitors	FindAll (core)	~$5.00
Enrich 100 leads	Task (core)	$2.50

Free Tier

20,000 requests free (combined across all APIs).

Security Notes

Credential Handling

Store PARALLEL_API_KEY in .env file (never commit to git)
Regenerate keys at https://platform.parallel.ai/settings/api-keys
Never log or print API keys in script output
Use environment variables, not hardcoded values

Data Privacy

Research queries are sent to Parallel AI servers
Research outputs may contain third-party company information
Results are stored locally in .tmp/ directory
Parallel AI may log queries for service improvement
Avoid including sensitive internal data in research queries

Access Scopes

API key provides full access to all research endpoints
No granular permission scopes available
Monitor usage and costs via Parallel AI dashboard

Compliance Considerations

Data Sources: Research pulls from public web sources
Citation: Always cite sources in research outputs
Accuracy: AI-generated research should be verified
Competitive Intel: Ensure competitive research complies with policies
Third-Party Data: Respect intellectual property of sources
PII in Results: Research results may contain company/individual PII
Data Freshness: Verify currency of time-sensitive information

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Processor timeout

Symptoms: Request times out or returns partial results Cause: Complex query requiring more processing time than allowed Solution:

Use a faster processor tier (lite or base instead of ultra)
Simplify the research query
Break complex queries into multiple smaller requests
Increase timeout in script if configurable

Issue: Credits exhausted

Symptoms: "Insufficient credits" or quota error Cause: Account credits depleted Solution:

Check balance at https://platform.parallel.ai/dashboard
Upgrade plan or purchase additional credits
Use lower-cost processor tiers for less critical queries
Monitor usage to avoid unexpected depletion

Issue: Invalid response format

Symptoms: JSON parsing error or unexpected response structure Cause: API returned error or malformed response Solution:

Check query format matches API requirements
Retry the request (may be transient issue)
Verify API key is valid and active
Review API documentation for expected response format

Issue: Empty or irrelevant results

Symptoms: Research returns no results or off-topic content Cause: Query too narrow, ambiguous, or poorly structured Solution:

Broaden the search query
Add context to clarify query intent
Try different phrasing or keywords
Use Chat API first to validate query understanding

Issue: API authentication failed

Symptoms: "Invalid API key" or 401 error Cause: API key expired, invalid, or not set Solution:

Regenerate key at https://platform.parallel.ai/settings/api-keys
Verify PARALLEL_API_KEY is set correctly in .env
Check for leading/trailing whitespace in key
Ensure key has not been revoked

Issue: Rate limited

Symptoms: 429 error or "rate limit exceeded" Cause: Too many concurrent requests Solution:

Add delays between requests
Reduce parallel request count
Implement exponential backoff
Contact support for higher rate limits if needed

Resources

references/api-guide.md - Complete API documentation
references/basic-research.md - Simple company research
references/vendor-selection.md - Vendor comparison workflow

Integration Patterns

Research to Report

Skills: parallel-research → content-generation Use case: Create polished reports from research findings Flow:

Run deep research on topic/company
Generate structured research output
Format into branded document via content-generation

FindAll to CRM

Skills: parallel-research → attio-crm Use case: Populate CRM with discovered companies Flow:

Use FindAll to discover companies matching criteria
Enrich each company with additional data
Create/update company records in Attio CRM

Research to Sheets

Skills: parallel-research → google-workspace Use case: Build research database in Google Sheets Flow:

Run FindAll or batch research on multiple entities
Structure results as tabular data
Upload to Google Sheets for team collaboration