# parallel-deep-research

Runs multi-step deep research jobs using parallel-cli. Use it when you need an exhaustive markdown report with citations rather than a quick web search.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 15600 installs · ★ 91
- Author: parallel
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-21
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/parallel-deep-research

## What it does

The skill triggers a remote research job through `parallel-cli research run` and monitors progress with `parallel-cli research poll`. By default, it runs on the `pro-fast` processor with `--no-wait` and `--text` flags. The CLI outputs a Markdown report with inline citations along with a companion JSON file for task metadata.

It requires `parallel-cli` version 0.3.0 or higher plus active internet access. Follow-up investigations can reuse context through `--previous-interaction-id`. Context chaining is completely unavailable on Zero Data Retention (ZDR) accounts, which means you must re-supply background context manually.

Deep research takes several minutes and costs more than a standard search. Reserve this tool for exhaustive investigations.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --skill parallel-deep-research -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/parallel-deep-research/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --skill parallel-deep-research -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --skill parallel-deep-research -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills parallel-deep-research
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --skill parallel-deep-research -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --path skills/parallel-deep-research
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills --skill parallel-deep-research -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/parallel-web/parallel-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/parallel-deep-research/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Run server-side investigations on complex technical or market topics
- Produce markdown reports with inline source citations
- Chain follow-up questions to an earlier research run via `interaction_id`
- Export structured task basis and metadata directly into JSON

## Example prompts
- Run a deep research on solid-state battery manufacturing costs for 2026
- Prepare an exhaustive report comparing open-weights LLM inference engines
- Conduct a thorough investigation on this topic using processor pro-fast

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: aabab8fca642f59c.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE aabab8fca642f59c
````text
---
name: parallel-deep-research
description: "ONLY use when user explicitly says 'deep research', 'exhaustive', 'comprehensive report', or 'thorough investigation'. Slower and more expensive than parallel-web-search. For normal research/lookup requests, use parallel-web-search instead. Supports follow-ups with a known prior Task interaction ID."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: <topic>
compatibility: Requires parallel-cli >= 0.3.0 and internet access.
allowed-tools: Bash(parallel-cli:*)
metadata:
  author: parallel
---

# Deep Research

Research topic: $ARGUMENTS

> Requires `parallel-cli` ≥ 0.3.0 for text output and context chaining. If a documented command or option is missing, check `parallel-cli --version` and that command's `--help`, then follow the installation-specific upgrade guidance in Setup. API, authentication and input errors are not evidence of an older CLI.

## When to use (vs parallel-web-search)

ONLY use this skill when the user explicitly requests deep/exhaustive research. It can take several minutes and costs more than a quick search, depending on the processor and task. For normal "research X" requests, quick lookups, or fact-checking, use **parallel-web-search** instead.

## Step 1: Start the research

Choose a descriptive output base in a persistent directory (e.g., `reports/ai-chip-market-2026`). Include the returned run ID to make it unique, then use this base in step 2 as `-o "$FILENAME"`. Check for existing `.json` and `.md` files before saving.

```bash
parallel-cli research run "$ARGUMENTS" --processor pro-fast --text --no-wait --json
```

The `--text` flag tells the API to return a markdown report (with inline citations) when the task completes, instead of the default structured JSON. Use it for narrative/report-style requests, which is what most users want from "deep research." Drop `--text` if the user explicitly wants structured JSON output.

Optional with `--text`: pass `--text-description "Keep under 1500 words, focus on M&A activity"` to steer length, format, or focus.

If this is a **follow-up** and you have a prior Task's returned `interaction_id`, add context chaining. An enrichment `taskgroup_id` and a Search/Extract `session_id` are not Task interaction IDs. Async enrichment does not return a new interaction ID; retain the prior Task ID instead. Context chaining is unavailable for Zero Data Retention (ZDR) accounts, so omit it there and provide the needed context explicitly.

```bash
parallel-cli research run "$ARGUMENTS" --processor lite-fast --text --no-wait --json --previous-interaction-id "$INTERACTION_ID"
```
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE aabab8fca642f59c

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