n8n-nodes-parallel

This is an n8n community node for Parallel Web Systems - the AI-powered web research platform. Transform your n8n workflows with intelligent data extraction, competitive analysis, lead enrichment, and automated research capabilities.

Try Parallel in the playground before integrating into your workflows.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation

Install this community node package in n8n:

npm install n8n-nodes-parallel

Or follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Prerequisites

1. Get API Access: Sign up at platform.parallel.ai and generate an API key
2. Add Credentials: In n8n, create new credentials of type "Parallel API" and enter your API key
3. Webhook Secret: In your Parallel n8n credential, include a webhook secret (created via Platform Settings) in order to be notified when an Async Web Enrichment Task is completed

Available Nodes

This package provides two powerful nodes for your n8n workflows:

🔍 Parallel Node - Multi-Purpose AI Research

The main Parallel node offers four distinct operations:

1. Sync Web Enrichment - Task API

Execute tasks synchronously and get immediate results (up to 5 minutes):

• Lead Enrichment: Company profiles, contact information, financials
• Competitive Analysis: Product features, pricing, market positioning
• Content Research: Article summaries, fact-checking, data validation
• Market Intelligence: Industry trends, company updates, regulatory changes

Available Processors: lite, base, core

2. Async Web Enrichment - Task API

Start long-running research tasks asynchronously (up to 30 minutes):

• Complex multi-source research
• Deep competitive intelligence
• Comprehensive due diligence
• Large-scale data enrichment

Available Processors: lite, base, core, pro, ultra, ultra2x, ultra4x, ultra8x Learn about each Parallel Task API Processor here.

3. Web Search - Search API

Intelligent web search with AI-powered processing:

• Natural language search objectives
• Traditional keyword queries
• Domain filtering for trusted sources
• Structured results with excerpts and citations

Available Processors: base, pro Learn about each Parallel Search API Processor here.

4. Web Chat

AI-powered chat completions with web access (< 5 seconds):

• Real-time web-informed responses
• Fact-checking and verification
• Current events and news queries
• Research-backed conversations

Read the Parallel Chat API documentation here.

🔔 Parallel Task Run Completion Trigger

Automatically trigger workflows when Parallel tasks complete, best paired with Async Web Enrichment:

• Real-time notifications: Instant updates when async tasks finish
• Automatic result fetching: Retrieves full task results automatically
• Webhook security: Built-in signature validation for secure webhooks
• Flexible filtering: Option to trigger only on successful completions

Perfect for long-running research workflows where you want to process results as soon as they're ready.

Key Features

Flexible Output Schemas

• Text: Single text output field with evidence and citations
• JSON: Custom structured schemas for precise data extraction
• Auto: AI-optimized JSON output with nested citations (Pro+ processors only)

Research Quality & Transparency

Every result includes confidence scores and evidence with source citations, so you can validate and trust your automated research.

Source Control

Use source policies to include trusted domains (like Wikipedia, Reuters) or exclude unreliable ones.

Smart Polling & Async Support

• Automatically handles long-running research tasks with intelligent retry logic
• Webhook triggers for immediate notification when async tasks complete
• No manual polling required

Quick Start Examples

Example 1: Company Research Workflow

1. HTTP Request node → Get company domain from CRM
2. Parallel node (Sync Web Enrichment) → Enrich company data
3. Set node → Format results  
4. HTTP Request node → Update CRM with enriched data

Example 2: Async Research with Webhook

1. Parallel node (Async Web Enrichment) → Start deep research task
2. Parallel Task Run Completion Trigger → Wait for completion
3. Code node → Process comprehensive results
4. Email node → Send research report

Example 3: Web Search Pipeline

1. Manual Trigger → Input search query
2. Parallel node (Web Search) → Search with AI processing
3. Code node → Extract top results
4. HTTP Request → Post to knowledge base

Getting Started

1. Install: npm install n8n-nodes-parallel
2. Get API Access: Sign up at platform.parallel.ai and generate an API key
3. Try the Playground: Test your research tasks at platform.parallel.ai/play
4. Add Credentials: Configure your API key in n8n's credential manager
5. Build Workflows: Start with simple enrichment tasks and scale to complex research pipelines

Processor Selection Guide

Choose the right processor based on your use case complexity and timing needs:

| Processor | Latency | Max Fields | Cost | Best For | |-----------|---------|------------|------|----------| | Lite | 5s-60s | 2 | $5/1000 | Basic metadata, quick lookups | | Base | 15s-100s | 5 | $10/1000 | Standard enrichment, reliable data | | Core | 1-5min | 10 | $25/1000 | Cross-referenced research | | Pro | 3-9min | 20 | $100/1000 | Exploratory research, analysis | | Ultra | 5-25min | 20 | $300/1000 | Advanced multi-source research | | Ultra 2x | 5-25min | 25 | $600/1000 | Difficult research tasks | | Ultra 4x | 8-30min | 25 | $1200/1000 | Very difficult research | | Ultra 8x | 8-30min | 25 | $2400/1000 | Most complex research |

Note: Sync operations support up to Core level. Async operations support all processor levels.

n8n Workflow Use Cases

Sales & CRM Automation

• Lead Scoring: Enrich incoming leads with company data, funding, employee count
• Account Research: Deep dive on prospects before sales calls
• Contact Discovery: Find decision-makers and their contact information
• Competitive Intelligence: Monitor competitor product updates and pricing

Content & Marketing

• Content Research: Gather supporting data and citations for articles
• Fact-Checking: Validate claims and statistics in real-time
• Trend Analysis: Monitor industry trends and news for content ideas
• SEO Research: Find trending topics and keyword opportunities

Operations & Monitoring

• Vendor Research: Evaluate potential suppliers and partners
• Risk Assessment: Monitor companies for regulatory changes or news
• Market Intelligence: Track industry developments and competitor moves
• Due Diligence: Comprehensive background checks for business decisions

Customer Support Enhancement

• Real-time Information: Answer customer questions with current web data
• Documentation: Auto-generate help articles from web research
• Competitive Comparisons: Provide accurate competitor information

Advanced Configuration

Webhook Setup for Async Tasks

When using async enrichment with the trigger node:

1. Add a Parallel Task Run Completion Trigger to your workflow
2. Copy the webhook URL from the trigger node
3. In the Parallel node (Async Web Enrichment), paste the URL in the "Webhook URL" field
4. Enable "Validate Webhook Signatures" for security (recommended)

JSON Schema Examples

For structured data extraction, use JSON schemas in the output configuration:

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "company_name": {
      "type": "string", 
      "description": "Official company name from recent filings or website."
    },
    "ceo_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Current CEO full name from company website or recent news."
    },
    "employee_count": {
      "type": "string", 
      "description": "Number of employees as range (e.g., '500-1000') or exact number."
    }
  },
  "required": ["company_name", "ceo_name", "employee_count"],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

Source Policies

Control which websites are used for research:

• Include domains: wikipedia.org, reuters.com, bloomberg.com
• Exclude domains: reddit.com, quora.com

Resources

• Parallel Documentation
• Task API Quickstart
• Search API Quickstart
• Processor Selection Guide
• Understanding Task Specifications
• Webhook Configuration
• n8n Community Nodes Documentation

Support & Community

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: docs.parallel.ai
• Platform: platform.parallel.ai

License

MIT