<img src="https://assets.parallel.ai/dark-parallel-avatar-270.svg" alt="Parallel" width="48" />

# Parallel Search MCP

**Free web search for your coding agent.**

Find current documentation, check facts, and read web pages without leaving your agent. No account or API key needed to get started.

## Ask your agent to install

Copy this into your coding agent:

```text
Install Parallel's free Search MCP in the coding agent I'm using now.
Identify your client and use its native MCP setup instructions:
https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp

Server name: parallel-search
Server URL: https://search.parallel.ai/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Authentication: none. No account, API key, or Parallel CLI is needed.

Preserve existing settings and reuse any connection to this endpoint.
Tell me if a restart or approval is required.

Once connected, check that web_search and web_fetch are available.
Use Parallel to find the official FastAPI response-model documentation
and return a source link. Report anything you couldn't verify.
```

[Install in Cursor](https://cursor.com/en/install-mcp?name=Parallel%20Search%20MCP&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3NlYXJjaC5wYXJhbGxlbC5haS9tY3AifQ==) · [Install in VS Code](https://insiders.vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=Parallel%20Search%20MCP&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.parallel.ai%2Fmcp%22%7D) · [Manual setup](#manual-setup) · [Documentation](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp)

## Manual setup

Choose your client. You only need one of these options.

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add parallel-search --url https://search.parallel.ai/mcp
```

Start a new Codex session and run `/mcp` to check the connection. See the [Codex MCP guide](https://developers.openai.com/codex/mcp/) for configuration options.

### Gemini CLI

```bash
gemini extensions install https://github.com/parallel-web/search-mcp
```

Restart Gemini CLI and run `/mcp` to check that `parallel-search` is connected. The extension uses Streamable HTTP and requires no Parallel account or API key. If you already configured `parallel-search` manually, that configuration takes precedence over the extension. See the [extension guide](https://geminicli.com/docs/extensions/) for installation and update options.

### Hermes Agent

Hermes already includes Parallel in its native web providers. Choose **Parallel Free (keyless)** in `hermes tools` to use that integration.

This optional package adds a direct connection to Parallel's MCP tools and the bundled setup skill. It leaves Hermes's native web-provider selection unchanged. It's available in the [Hermes plugin catalog](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins/parallel-search). Install and enable it with:

```bash
hermes plugins install parallel-search
hermes plugins enable parallel-search
```

Start a new session so Hermes loads the enabled package. Ask Hermes to use the Parallel MCP `web_search` tool to find official documentation, then `web_fetch` to read a page. Use `skills_list` to discover the namespaced `parallel-search-setup` skill. No Parallel account, API key, or CLI is required.

Use either this package or a manually configured connection to `https://search.parallel.ai/mcp` to avoid duplicate MCP tools. Disable or remove the package with `hermes plugins disable parallel-search` or `hermes plugins remove parallel-search`. Update through `hermes plugins update parallel-search`; catalog updates use reviewed commit pins.

### OpenCode

Merge this into your project's `opencode.json`:

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "parallel-search": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://search.parallel.ai/mcp",
      "oauth": false
    }
  }
}
```

Restart OpenCode and run `opencode mcp list` to check the connection. See the [OpenCode MCP guide](https://opencode.ai/docs/en/mcp-servers) for details.

### OpenClaw

Follow the [OpenClaw setup guide](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/parallel-search) to install the Parallel plugin, then set `tools.web.search.provider` to `parallel-free`. No Parallel account or API key is needed.

### Cursor, VS Code, and other clients

Use this remote MCP server URL:

```text
https://search.parallel.ai/mcp
```

Select HTTP or Streamable HTTP if your client asks for a transport. Follow the [client-specific instructions](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp#installation) for the right settings file and format.

## Try it

Ask your agent:

> Use Parallel to find the official FastAPI docs for response models. Show me a small example and link to the source.

Or try:

> Use Parallel to check the latest stable Node.js release and its release notes. Cite the official sources.

> Use Parallel to read https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction and explain how MCP connects an agent to tools.

Your agent can use two tools:

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `web_search` | Searches the web and returns relevant excerpts with source links. |
| `web_fetch` | Reads specific URLs and returns page content for your agent to use. |

Search results often contain enough information to answer. Your agent can fetch a page when it needs more detail.

## Free access and higher limits

This plugin is anonymous by design: both tools work with no account, API key, or login, subject to free-tier rate limits. The free tier is intended for personal agents, hobby projects, and exploration.

For higher limits, usage analytics, and production workloads, create an account at [platform.parallel.ai](https://platform.parallel.ai) and connect the **Parallel Search** connector, which signs in with that account. Authenticated usage is billed under your account's pricing and limits — see [parallel.ai](https://parallel.ai) for pricing. Don't add an API key or point this plugin at an authenticated endpoint; the connector handles sign-in natively.

Both tiers include the same two tools. Authenticated connections also let you [configure search behavior](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp#configure-search-behavior), including search modes, result counts, and domain filters. Anonymous requests ignore these settings.

## Privacy and terms

Parallel hosts the service. Search queries and requested URLs are sent to Parallel and handled under the [Customer Terms](https://parallel.ai/customer-terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://parallel.ai/privacy-policy). The server only receives what the tools send it — search queries and the URLs you ask it to fetch — and does not read your conversation, files, or other context.

## Troubleshooting

- **Tools aren't showing up:** start a new agent session and check its MCP connection list. Confirm the URL is `https://search.parallel.ai/mcp`.
- **Asked to log in to Parallel:** check the URL. `/mcp` supports free access; `/mcp-oauth` requires authentication. Approving an MCP connection in your client is separate from logging in to Parallel.
- **Hit a rate limit:** wait before retrying, or move to an authenticated Parallel account via the Parallel Search connector for higher limits.
- **Still stuck:** check the [setup guide](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp#troubleshooting) or [open an issue](https://github.com/parallel-web/search-mcp/issues). Include your client, version, and error message. Leave out API keys and other credentials.

## Support and security

- **Questions and bugs:** [open an issue](https://github.com/parallel-web/search-mcp/issues) with your client, version, and error message (leave out API keys and other credentials), or see the [documentation](https://docs.parallel.ai/integrations/mcp/search-mcp).
- **Product support:** contact Parallel at [support@parallel.ai](mailto:support@parallel.ai).
- **Security concerns:** report privately to [support@parallel.ai](mailto:support@parallel.ai) — see [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md). Please don't file security reports as public issues.

## About this repo

This is the official GitHub home for Parallel's hosted Search MCP. It contains this guide and Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and Hermes packages. Codex and Cursor share `.mcp.json`; Hermes uses the portable Agent Plugins v1 `plugin.json` and `mcp.json` files and loads the setup skill ([skills/parallel-search-setup/SKILL.md](skills/parallel-search-setup/SKILL.md)) on demand for connection checks, usage guidance, troubleshooting, and higher-limit options. You can suggest documentation fixes and examples here. The search service runs on Parallel's infrastructure; cloning this repo gives you the documentation and configuration files.

For CLI-based search, research, and enrichment, see the separate [Parallel CLI skills plugin](https://github.com/parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills).

The files in this repo are [MIT licensed](LICENSE). Hosted service usage is covered by the Customer Terms linked above.