Parallect Deep Research Skill

You have access to Parallect.ai, a multi-provider deep research platform.
It queries multiple frontier AI providers simultaneously and synthesizes
their findings into a single report with cross-referenced citations,
extracted claims, conflict resolution, and follow-on suggestions.

Research is asynchronous -- jobs take 30 seconds to 10+ minutes
depending on mode and providers. You MUST poll for completion. Never block.

Connection

Parallect is accessed via its hosted MCP server. The connection is
pre-configured through your openclaw.json skill config.

• - Endpoint: INLINECODE1
• Auth: Bearer token using your PARALLECT_API_KEY (par_live_*)

If tools are not available, verify the key is set in your skill env
and the skill is enabled.

Gotchas

Read these first. They prevent the most common mistakes:

• - Research is async. Calling research does NOT return results. It

returns a jobId. You must poll research_status and then call get_results only after status is "completed".

• - get_results on a running job is an error. Don't call it until

research_status returns "completed". You will get JOB_NOT_COMPLETE.

• - You are spending the user's money. Never submit research without

discussing budget first. Even an XXS tier costs ~$1.

• - Polling too fast triggers rate limits. Use exponential backoff with

jitter (see Step 3). Don't poll every 5 seconds.

• - Balance check before research is mandatory. If the user has no

balance and no payment method, the research call will fail. Check first.

• - The synthesis field is markdown. Present it as-is with citations.

Don't strip the formatting.

• - research always creates a new thread. Do NOT pass a INLINECODE15

to the research tool. For follow-up research in the same thread, use the follow_up tool with the parent jobId. Completed research reports are immutable and must not be overwritten.

• - fast mode skips synthesis. It returns a single provider's raw

report with no cross-referencing or conflict resolution. Only use when the user explicitly prioritizes speed.

Available Tools

Tool	Use when...	Do NOT use when...
INLINECODE20	User wants to investigate a topic with sourced analysis	Question is simple enough to answer from memory
INLINECODE21

You've submitted research and need to check progress | You haven't called research yet | | get_results | research_status shows "completed" | Job is still running or synthesizing | | follow_up | User wants to dig deeper on a completed research topic | No prior completed job exists | | list_threads | User refers to past research or wants to resume | You already have the threadId | | get_thread | You need full context of a previous research session | You only need current job status | | balance | Before starting research, or after to report remaining credits | Mid-polling (wastes a call) | | usage | User asks about their spending history | Default -- only when explicitly asked | | list_providers | Before research to show user what their tier includes | Already discussed budget with user |

Workflow: Running Research

Step 1: Discuss budget and check balance

Before submitting ANY research:

1. 1. Call balance to check the user's current credits and payment status.
2. Call list_providers with the anticipated budgetTier to show what

providers and cost range that tier includes.

1. 3. Discuss budget with the user, framing it in natural language:

| User says... | Map to tier | Max cost | Providers | Duration |
|-------------|-------------|----------|-----------|----------|
| "quick check", "just a glance" | XXS | ~$1 | 1 provider | ~30s |
| "quick look", "brief" | XS | ~$2 | 1-2 providers | ~1min |
| "standard", "normal" | S | ~$5 | 2 providers | ~2min |
| "thorough", "detailed" | M | ~$15 | 3-4 providers | ~5min |
| "comprehensive", "deep" | L | ~$30 | 4-5 providers | ~8min |
| "exhaustive", "everything" | XL | ~$60 | All providers | ~10min |

For per-tier details, provider strengths, and selection heuristics
see references/budget-tiers.md.

1. 4. Tell the user: "Your balance is $X.XX. A [tier] research will cost

up to $Y. That will query [providers]. Want to proceed?"

1. 5. If balance is insufficient and no payment method is on file, direct

them to https://parallect.ai/settings/billing before proceeding.

1. 6. If the user set a budget preference earlier in this session, reuse it

silently unless the topic warrants a different tier. Don't ask again.

Why this matters: You are spending real money on the user's behalf.
The agent must never auto-submit research without first establishing
budget expectations. Getting this right builds trust; getting it wrong
causes bill shock and churn.

Step 2: Submit the research

Call research with:

• - query: A specific, well-formed research question (see Tips below)
• INLINECODE38: The tier confirmed in Step 1
• INLINECODE39: "methodical" (default) for multi-provider synthesis.

Only use "fast" if the user explicitly wants speed over depth.

• - providers: Omit to let Parallect auto-select. Only specify if the

user has a strong preference for specific providers.

The research tool always creates a new thread. Do NOT attempt to
pass a threadId. For follow-up research on a completed report, use
the follow_up tool with the parent jobId instead.

Save the returned jobId and threadId.

Tell the user: "Research submitted to [N] providers. I'll check back
on progress in about 30 seconds."

Step 3: Poll for completion (exponential backoff with jitter)

Research is asynchronous. Poll using research_status with exponential
backoff. Do NOT poll at fixed intervals.

Polling schedule:

CODEBLOCK0

In practice this looks like:

Check #	Approximate wait	Cumulative time
1	~30s	30s
2

~50s | 1m 20s |
| 3 | ~75s | 2m 35s |
| 4 | ~110s | 4m 25s |
| 5+ | ~120s (cap) | +2min each |

Cap the maximum interval at 120 seconds. Never poll more frequently
than every 30 seconds.

On each poll, report progress naturally:

• - "1 of 3 providers finished, 2 still running..."
• "All providers done, synthesis is running now..."
• "Research complete! Let me grab the results."

Shortcut: If status is "synthesizing", it's almost done. Next
check in 30 seconds.

Timeout: If the job hasn't completed after 15 minutes, inform the
user: "This research is taking longer than expected. Want me to keep
checking, or should we try a different approach?" Offer to:

• - Keep polling (set 2-minute intervals)
• Check get_results in case partial results are available
• Start a new query with fewer providers or fast mode

Silent stall detection: If 3 consecutive polls return the exact
same progress (same providers complete, same status), the job may be
stuck. Inform the user and suggest starting fresh.

Step 4: Deliver results

When research_status returns "completed":

1. 1. Call get_results with jobId.

- Set includeProviderReports: false unless the user wants raw data. - Set includeClaimsJson: false unless the user wants structured claims.

1. 2. Present findings in this order:

a. Brief summary (3-5 sentences) of the key findings in your own words. Lead with the most important insight. b. Full synthesis -- share the synthesis markdown as-is. It contains inline citations and cross-references. c. Cost report -- "This research cost $X.XX across N providers (took Y minutes)." d. Balance check -- call balance and report: "Remaining balance: $X.XX." If below $5, flag it: "Heads up -- your balance is getting low."

1. 3. If the job status is "failed", report what happened and suggest

retrying with a different tier or fewer providers.

Step 5: Offer follow-ons

Results include followOnSuggestions. Present them as numbered options:

"Based on this research, here are directions we could explore next:

1. 1. [suggestion 1]
2. [suggestion 2]
3. [suggestion 3]

Want me to research any of these, or ask your own follow-up question?"

When the user picks one:

• - Use follow_up with the parent jobId and topicIndex (0-based)

or customQuery for a custom question.

• - Mention the estimated cost before submitting.
• Then repeat Steps 3-5.

Follow-ups run in the same thread, so providers have full context.

Cost Awareness Rules

You are spending the user's money at machine speed. Be responsible:

• - NEVER auto-submit research in a new session without first

establishing budget expectations. This is non-negotiable.

• - Track cumulative session spend. After multiple queries, report:

"We've spent $X.XX on research so far this session."

• - Suggest cheaper tiers proactively. If the question is simple,

say: "This seems like a quick lookup -- XXS (~$1) should be enough. Want to save money with that instead of M?"

• - Confirm expensive operations. For L/XL tiers or chains of

follow-ups, get explicit confirmation: "That'll be up to $60. Want to proceed?"

• - Report cost after EVERY research job. Never skip the cost report.
• Alert at low balance. If balance drops below $5, mention it.

If below $2, proactively warn that the next research might fail.

• - Link to billing on insufficient funds. Don't just say "insufficient

balance" -- give them the link: https://parallect.ai/settings/billing

Error Handling

Common errors: INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE, JOB_NOT_COMPLETE, RATE_LIMITED,
PAYMENT_FAILED, JOB_NOT_FOUND, INVALID_TOPIC. See
references/api-errors.md for full error codes, response fields, and
recovery steps.

Tips for Quality Research Queries

A well-formed query saves money and produces better results:

• - Be specific: "What are the latest Phase 3 clinical trial results

for GLP-1 receptor agonists in treating NASH?" beats "GLP-1 drugs".

• - Include constraints: time period, geography, industry sector,

comparison criteria.

• - If the user is vague, ask ONE clarifying question before spending

money. "Could you narrow that down? Are you interested in [X] or [Y]?"

• - Don't over-scope. If the user asks about a narrow topic, don't

inflate it into a broad research question. Match the query scope to the budget tier.

Mode Selection

Mode	When to use	Duration	Output
INLINECODE75	Accuracy and breadth matter (default)	2-10 min	Multi-provider synthesis with claims and citations
INLINECODE76

User says "quick" / "fast" / time-sensitive | 10-30s | Single provider raw report, no synthesis |

Use methodical unless the user explicitly asks for speed. The
synthesis step is where Parallect adds the most value -- cross-
referencing claims, resolving contradictions, deduplicating citations.

Session Memory

• - Remember threadId and jobId from current research context.
• If the user says "the research" or "those results", use the most

recent jobId. Don't ask them to repeat it.

• - If they want to resume older research, call list_threads to find

it, then get_thread for the full context.

• - Track cumulative spend across the session as a running total.
• INLINECODE82 creates a new thread every time. follow_up continues

an existing thread. Never confuse the two -- using the wrong tool can overwrite a completed report.