Parallel CLI
Use parallel-cli when the user explicitly wants Parallel, or when a terminal-native workflow would benefit from Parallel's vendor-specific stack for web search, extraction, deep research, enrichment, entity discovery, or monitoring.
This is an optional third-party workflow, not a Hermes core capability.
Important expectations:
- Parallel is a paid service with a free tier, not a fully free local tool.
- It overlaps with Hermes native
web_search/web_extract, so do not prefer it by default for ordinary lookups. - Prefer this skill when the user mentions Parallel specifically or needs capabilities like Parallel's enrichment, FindAll, or monitor workflows.
parallel-cli is designed for agents:
- JSON output via
--json - Non-interactive command execution
- Async long-running jobs with
--no-wait,status, andpoll - Context chaining with
--previous-interaction-id - Search, extract, research, enrichment, entity discovery, and monitoring in one CLI
When to use it
Prefer this skill when:
- The user explicitly mentions Parallel or
parallel-cli - The task needs richer workflows than a simple one-shot search/extract pass
- You need async deep research jobs that can be launched and polled later
- You need structured enrichment, FindAll entity discovery, or monitoring
Prefer Hermes native web_search / web_extract for quick one-off lookups when Parallel is not specifically requested.
Installation
Try the least invasive install path available for the environment.
Homebrew
bashbrew install parallel-web/tap/parallel-cli
npm
bashnpm install -g parallel-web-cli
Python package
bashpip install "parallel-web-tools[cli]"
Standalone installer
bashcurl -fsSL https://parallel.ai/install.sh | bash
If you want an isolated Python install, pipx can also work:
bashpipx install "parallel-web-tools[cli]" pipx ensurepath
Authentication
Interactive login:
bashparallel-cli login
Headless / SSH / CI:
bashparallel-cli login --device
API key environment variable:
bashexport PARALLEL_API_KEY="***"
Verify current auth status:
bashparallel-cli auth
If auth requires browser interaction, run with pty=true.
Core rule set
- Always prefer
--jsonwhen you need machine-readable output. - Prefer explicit arguments and non-interactive flows.
- For long-running jobs, use
--no-waitand thenstatus/poll. - Cite only URLs returned by the CLI output.
- Save large JSON outputs to a temp file when follow-up questions are likely.
- Use background processes only for genuinely long-running workflows; otherwise run in foreground.
- Prefer Hermes native tools unless the user wants Parallel specifically or needs Parallel-only workflows.
Quick reference
textparallel-cli ├── auth ├── login ├── logout ├── search ├── extract / fetch ├── research run|status|poll|processors ├── enrich run|status|poll|plan|suggest|deploy ├── findall run|ingest|status|poll|result|enrich|extend|schema|cancel └── monitor create|list|get|update|delete|events|event-group|simulate
Common flags and patterns
Commonly useful flags:
--jsonfor structured output--no-waitfor async jobs--previous-interaction-id <id>for follow-up tasks that reuse earlier context--max-results <n>for search result count--mode one-shot|agenticfor search behavior--include-domains domain1.com,domain2.com--exclude-domains domain1.com,domain2.com--after-date YYYY-MM-DD
Read from stdin when convenient:
bashecho "What is the latest funding for Anthropic?" | parallel-cli search - --json echo "Research question" | parallel-cli research run - --json
Search
Use for current web lookups with structured results.
bashparallel-cli search "What is Anthropic's latest AI model?" --json parallel-cli search "SEC filings for Apple" --include-domains sec.gov --json parallel-cli search "bitcoin price" --after-date 2026-01-01 --max-results 10 --json parallel-cli search "latest browser benchmarks" --mode one-shot --json parallel-cli search "AI coding agent enterprise reviews" --mode agentic --json
Useful constraints:
--include-domainsto narrow trusted sources--exclude-domainsto strip noisy domains--after-datefor recency filtering--max-resultswhen you need broader coverage
If you expect follow-up questions, save output:
bashparallel-cli search "latest React 19 changes" --json -o /tmp/react-19-search.json
When summarizing results:
- lead with the answer
- include dates, names, and concrete facts
- cite only returned sources
- avoid inventing URLs or source titles
Extraction
Use to pull clean content or markdown from a URL.
bashparallel-cli extract https://example.com --json parallel-cli extract https://company.com --objective "Find pricing info" --json parallel-cli extract https://example.com --full-content --json parallel-cli fetch https://example.com --json
Use --objective when the page is broad and you only need one slice of information.
Deep research
Use for deeper multi-step research tasks that may take time.
Common processor tiers:
lite/basefor faster, cheaper passescore/profor more thorough synthesisultrafor the heaviest research jobs
Synchronous
bashparallel-cli research run \ "Compare the leading AI coding agents by pricing, model support, and enterprise controls" \ --processor core \ --json
Async launch + poll
bashparallel-cli research run \ "Compare the leading AI coding agents by pricing, model support, and enterprise controls" \ --processor ultra \ --no-wait \ --json parallel-cli research status trun_xxx --json parallel-cli research poll trun_xxx --json parallel-cli research processors --json
Context chaining / follow-up
bashparallel-cli research run "What are the top AI coding agents?" --json parallel-cli research run \ "What enterprise controls does the top-ranked one offer?" \ --previous-interaction-id trun_xxx \ --json
Recommended Hermes workflow:
- launch with
--no-wait --json - capture the returned run/task ID
- if the user wants to continue other work, keep moving
- later call
statusorpoll - summarize the final report with citations from the returned sources
Enrichment
Use when the user has CSV/JSON/tabular inputs and wants additional columns inferred from web research.
Suggest columns
bashparallel-cli enrich suggest "Find the CEO and annual revenue" --json
Plan a config
bashparallel-cli enrich plan -o config.yaml
Inline data
bashparallel-cli enrich run \ --data '[{"company": "Anthropic"}, {"company": "Mistral"}]' \ --intent "Find headquarters and employee count" \ --json
Non-interactive file run
bashparallel-cli enrich run \ --source-type csv \ --source companies.csv \ --target enriched.csv \ --source-columns '[{"name": "company", "description": "Company name"}]' \ --intent "Find the CEO and annual revenue"
YAML config run
bashparallel-cli enrich run config.yaml
Status / polling
bashparallel-cli enrich status <task_group_id> --json parallel-cli enrich poll <task_group_id> --json
Use explicit JSON arrays for column definitions when operating non-interactively. Validate the output file before reporting success.
FindAll
Use for web-scale entity discovery when the user wants a discovered dataset rather than a short answer.
bashparallel-cli findall run "Find AI coding agent startups with enterprise offerings" --json parallel-cli findall run "AI startups in healthcare" -n 25 --json parallel-cli findall status <run_id> --json parallel-cli findall poll <run_id> --json parallel-cli findall result <run_id> --json parallel-cli findall schema <run_id> --json
This is a better fit than ordinary search when the user wants a discovered set of entities that can be reviewed, filtered, or enriched later.
Monitor
Use for ongoing change detection over time.
bashparallel-cli monitor list --json parallel-cli monitor get <monitor_id> --json parallel-cli monitor events <monitor_id> --json parallel-cli monitor delete <monitor_id> --json
Creation is usually the sensitive part because cadence and delivery matter:
bashparallel-cli monitor create --help
Use this when the user wants recurring tracking of a page or source rather than a one-time fetch.
Recommended Hermes usage patterns
Fast answer with citations
- Run
parallel-cli search ... --json - Parse titles, URLs, dates, excerpts
- Summarize with inline citations from the returned URLs only
URL investigation
- Run
parallel-cli extract URL --json - If needed, rerun with
--objectiveor--full-content - Quote or summarize the extracted markdown
Long research workflow
- Run
parallel-cli research run ... --no-wait --json - Store the returned ID
- Continue other work or periodically poll
- Summarize the final report with citations
Structured enrichment workflow
- Inspect the input file and columns
- Use
enrich suggestor provide explicit enriched columns - Run
enrich run - Poll for completion if needed
- Validate the output file before reporting success
Error handling and exit codes
The CLI documents these exit codes:
0success2bad input3auth error4API error5timeout
If you hit auth errors:
- check
parallel-cli auth - confirm
PARALLEL_API_KEYor runparallel-cli login/parallel-cli login --device - verify
parallel-cliis onPATH
Maintenance
Check current auth / install state:
bashparallel-cli auth parallel-cli --help
Update commands:
bashparallel-cli update pip install --upgrade parallel-web-tools parallel-cli config auto-update-check off
Pitfalls
- Do not omit
--jsonunless the user explicitly wants human-formatted output. - Do not cite sources not present in the CLI output.
loginmay require PTY/browser interaction.- Prefer foreground execution for short tasks; do not overuse background processes.
- For large result sets, save JSON to
/tmp/*.jsoninstead of stuffing everything into context. - Do not silently choose Parallel when Hermes native tools are already sufficient.
- Remember this is a vendor workflow that usually requires account auth and paid usage beyond the free tier.
