Data Connectors

Data Connectors let a Task Run or a Responses API request combine web research with specialized data from third-party providers. Browse what is available in the Data Connectors directory. The right access model depends on how the data is licensed and made available to your organization.

Access model	Best for	How you use it
Index Partners	Data Parallel has licensed for every eligible run	Ask your question normally. Included by default, with nothing to configure.
Pay-Per-Use	A connector you want Parallel to query for a specific run	Name the connector in `advanced_settings.data_sources`, under `free` or `pay_per_use`.
Bring Your Own License (BYOL)	Data your organization already licenses or hosts	Add the provider’s remote MCP server and your credentials to `mcp_servers`.

All three complement Parallel’s default web research. Pay-Per-Use connectors and BYOL servers are added to the run; they do not replace web search and planning. The field names above are the Task API’s. The Responses API takes the same connector names in a top-level data_sources field and BYOL servers as OpenAI mcp tools; see Responses API.

Index Partners

Index Partners are licensed by Parallel through Index and are included by default on every eligible run. Use the Task API normally, and the processor draws on them when they are relevant. There is nothing to configure, and nothing to select: naming an Index Partner in data_sources is rejected. Availability varies by partner and by processor.

Pay-Per-Use

Pay-Per-Use connectors are invoked explicitly, per run. Select them with the advanced_settings.data_sources field when creating a Task Run. The processor queries them the same way it queries the web: it decides when a connector is useful for the task, calls it, and cites what it used in the basis. You do not host anything or manage credentials. Free connectors, such as PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov, use the same explicit invocation model and are never billed. Paid connectors are billed per successful call.

Parameter	Type	Description
`free`	`array[string]`	Free connectors to enable for this run. Never billed.
`pay_per_use`	`array[string]`	Pay-per-use connectors to enable for this run. Each successful call the processor makes is billed.

Both lists are optional and empty by default.

Sample request

curl -X POST "https://api.parallel.ai/v1/tasks/runs" \
  -H "x-api-key: $PARALLEL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "input": "Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
  "processor": "core",
  "advanced_settings": {
    "data_sources": {
      "free": ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"]
    }
  }
}'

import os
from parallel import Parallel

client = Parallel(api_key=os.environ["PARALLEL_API_KEY"])

task_run = client.task_run.create(
    input="Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
    processor="core",
    advanced_settings={"data_sources": {"free": ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"]}},
)

import Parallel from "parallel-web";

const client = new Parallel({
  apiKey: process.env.PARALLEL_API_KEY,
});

const taskRun = await client.taskRun.create({
  input: "Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
  processor: "core",
  advanced_settings: { data_sources: { free: ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"] } },
});

Free connectors

Name	Covers
`pubmed`	PubMed: biomedical and life-sciences literature, including article metadata, related articles, and citation lookup.
`clinical_trials`	ClinicalTrials.gov: registered clinical studies, their status, conditions, interventions, and sponsors.
`chembl`	ChEMBL: bioactive molecules and drug-like compounds, with targets, assays, and mechanism data.
`biorxiv`	bioRxiv and medRxiv: biology and health-sciences preprints.
`npi_registry`	NPI Registry (NPPES): US healthcare providers and organizations by National Provider Identifier.
`cms_coverage`	CMS Coverage: Medicare national and local coverage determinations.

Pay-per-use connectors

Name	Covers
`carbonarc`	Carbon Arc: alternative data on companies and markets, including consumer spend, foot traffic, app and web activity, and events.

Billing

Pay-per-use connectors are billed through Parallel at a price per call set by the provider. Charges are based on successful connector tool calls and are separate from the Task processor charge. Free connectors are never billed.

How Pay-Per-Use connectors are used

When a run starts, Parallel attaches the selected connectors as tools. The processor calls a connector only when it judges it relevant to the task, so a selected connector may be called several times or not at all. Every call appears in the run output’s mcp_tool_calls list with server_name set to the connector name, using the same shape as MCP tool calls. Facts drawn from a connector are cited in the basis like any other source.

Restrictions

Pay-Per-Use connectors are supported on the standard processors (lite, base, core, core2x, pro, ultra, ultra2x, ultra4x, ultra8x) and their -fast variants. Selecting one on any other processor is rejected.
Each connector belongs to one list. Naming a free connector under pay_per_use, or a paid connector under free, is rejected.
A connector name may not match the name of a server in mcp_servers on the same request.
Connectors are being rolled out per organization. If a selected connector is not yet available to your organization, the request is rejected with a 422 whose message lists the connectors you can use. Contact support@parallel.ai to request access.

Bring Your Own License (BYOL)

Use BYOL when your organization already holds a license to a provider or operates its own private data service. Pass the provider’s remote MCP server in mcp_servers, including any authentication headers required by that server. The licenses you already hold carry straight into your Task Runs.

Task API

{
  "input": "Summarize the renewal risks in our account notes.",
  "processor": "pro",
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "type": "url",
      "name": "my_internal_kb",
      "url": "https://kb.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_PROVIDER_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Parallel discovers the server’s available tools and lets the processor call them when they are useful for the task. See MCP Tool Calling for authentication, configuration fields, restrictions, and complete request and response examples.

Combine BYOL and Pay-Per-Use connectors

You can use your own MCP server and Pay-Per-Use connectors in the same Task API request. Names must be unique across mcp_servers and data_sources.

Task API

{
  "input": "How has foot traffic trended this year at the retailers named in our account notes?",
  "processor": "pro",
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "type": "url",
      "name": "my_internal_kb",
      "url": "https://kb.example.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_PROVIDER_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  ],
  "advanced_settings": {
    "data_sources": {
      "pay_per_use": ["carbonarc"]
    }
  }
}

Responses API

The Responses API selects connectors with a top-level data_sources field that takes the same free and pay_per_use lists and connector names as the Task API. The same billing applies.

curl https://api.parallel.ai/v1/responses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PARALLEL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "parallel",
    "input": "Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
    "reasoning": {"effort": "medium"},
    "data_sources": {"free": ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"]}
  }'

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ["PARALLEL_API_KEY"],
    base_url="https://api.parallel.ai/v1",
)

response = client.responses.create(
    model="parallel",
    input="Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
    reasoning={"effort": "medium"},
    extra_body={"data_sources": {"free": ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"]}},
)

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: process.env.PARALLEL_API_KEY,
  baseURL: "https://api.parallel.ai/v1",
});

const response = await client.responses.create({
  model: "parallel",
  input: "Summarize the registered phase 3 trials for semaglutide in adolescents.",
  reasoning: { effort: "medium" },
  // @ts-expect-error data_sources is a Parallel extension to the OpenAI request
  data_sources: { free: ["clinical_trials", "pubmed"] },
});

data_sources is a Parallel extension, so the OpenAI Python SDK sends it through extra_body. The TypeScript SDK sends unknown fields as they are.

Connectors in data_sources require reasoning.effort medium (the default) or high. Selecting one with low is rejected.
Every call to a connector in data_sources is returned as an mcp_call output item with server_label set to the connector name, the same item your own MCP tools produce. Calls to Index Partners are not reported.
For BYOL, pass the provider’s server as an OpenAI mcp tool. See MCP Tools for the fields, restrictions, and output. A connector name may not match the server_label of an mcp tool on the same request.
Rejected requests return a 400 in the OpenAI error envelope, not a 422. The unavailable-connector message is the same and lists the connectors you can use.
The earlier additional_data_providers field is retired, and a request that sends it is rejected with a message pointing to data_sources.

Next steps

Data Connectors directory

Browse every available connector, or request a source that is not listed yet.

MCP Tool Calling

Learn how Parallel discovers and invokes tools from a remote MCP server.

Pricing

Review Task processor pricing and billing guidance.

Getting started

Web Tools

Web Agents

Developer Tools

Platform Integrations

Data Integrations

Additional Resources

Index Partners

Pay-Per-Use

Sample request

Free connectors

Pay-per-use connectors

Billing

How Pay-Per-Use connectors are used

Restrictions

Bring Your Own License (BYOL)

Combine BYOL and Pay-Per-Use connectors

Responses API

Next steps

Data Connectors directory

MCP Tool Calling

Pricing

​Index Partners

​Pay-Per-Use

​Sample request

​Free connectors

​Pay-per-use connectors

​Billing

​How Pay-Per-Use connectors are used

​Restrictions

​Bring Your Own License (BYOL)

​Combine BYOL and Pay-Per-Use connectors

​Responses API

​Next steps

Data Connectors directory

MCP Tool Calling

Pricing

Index Partners

Pay-Per-Use

Sample request

Free connectors

Pay-per-use connectors

Billing

How Pay-Per-Use connectors are used

Restrictions

Bring Your Own License (BYOL)

Combine BYOL and Pay-Per-Use connectors

Responses API

Next steps