How to integrate Parallel MCP with Autogen

This guide walks you through connecting Parallel to AutoGen using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Parallel agent that can find top articles on generative ai trends, summarize recent news about electric vehicles, batch search for competitors' product launches through natural language commands. This guide will help you understand how to give your AutoGen agent real control over a Parallel account through Composio's Parallel MCP server. Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

Parallel logoParallel
Api Key

Parallel is a Task API for automated, structured web research and data extraction. It transforms natural language queries into precise, schema-driven outputs for streamlined workflows.

32 Tools

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Parallel to AutoGen using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Parallel agent that can find top articles on generative ai trends, summarize recent news about electric vehicles, batch search for competitors' product launches through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your AutoGen agent real control over a Parallel account through Composio's Parallel MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

Also integrate Parallel with

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your OpenAI and Composio API keys
  • Install the required dependencies for Autogen and Composio
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Parallel
  • Wire that MCP URL into Autogen using McpWorkbench and StreamableHttpServerParams
  • Configure an Autogen AssistantAgent that can call Parallel tools
  • Run a live chat loop where you ask the agent to perform Parallel operations

What is AutoGen?

Autogen is a framework for building multi-agent conversational AI systems from Microsoft. It enables you to create agents that can collaborate, use tools, and maintain complex workflows.

Key features include:

  • Multi-Agent Systems: Build collaborative agent workflows
  • MCP Workbench: Native support for Model Context Protocol tools
  • Streaming HTTP: Connect to external services through streamable HTTP
  • AssistantAgent: Pre-built agent class for tool-using assistants

What is the Parallel MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Parallel MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Parallel account. It provides structured and secure access to advanced web research automation, so your agent can perform actions like launching batch research tasks, running semantic searches, monitoring task progress, and generating research suggestions on your behalf.

  • Automated web research task creation: Instantly create structured research tasks or batch multiple queries for parallel execution, saving time and effort.
  • Semantic search across multiple topics: Direct your agent to run parallel semantic searches and retrieve top-matching documents or data for several queries at once.
  • Real-time task group monitoring: Let your agent stream live updates about the progress, completion, or status of ongoing research task groups.
  • Context-driven research suggestions: Have the agent suggest the next best research tasks based on your project or intent, keeping your workflow efficient and on track.
  • Task group retrieval and management: Fetch detailed information about specific research task groups to review results or track progress seamlessly.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Composio SDK?

Composio's Composio SDK helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Composio SDK

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Composio SDK works

The Composio SDK follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Step by step08 STEPS
1

Prerequisites

You will need:

  • A Composio API key
  • An OpenAI API key (used by Autogen's OpenAIChatCompletionClient)
  • A Parallel account you can connect to Composio
  • Some basic familiarity with Autogen and Python async
2

Getting API Keys for OpenAI and Composio

OpenAI API Key
  • Go to the OpenAI dashboard and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models, or you can connect to another model provider.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.
3

Install dependencies

bash
pip install composio python-dotenv
pip install autogen-agentchat autogen-ext-openai autogen-ext-tools

Install Composio, Autogen extensions, and dotenv.

What's happening:

  • composio connects your agent to Parallel via MCP
  • autogen-agentchat provides the AssistantAgent class
  • autogen-ext-openai provides the OpenAI model client
  • autogen-ext-tools provides MCP workbench support

4

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your-composio-api-key
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key
USER_ID=your-user-identifier@example.com

Create a .env file in your project folder.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY is required to talk to Composio
  • OPENAI_API_KEY is used by Autogen's OpenAI client
  • USER_ID is how Composio identifies which user's Parallel connections to use
5

Import dependencies and create Tool Router session

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio

from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient
from autogen_ext.tools.mcp import McpWorkbench, StreamableHttpServerParams

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    # Initialize Composio and create a Parallel session
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["parallel"]
    )
    url = session.mcp.url
What's happening:
  • load_dotenv() reads your .env file
  • Composio(api_key=...) initializes the SDK
  • create(...) creates a Tool Router session that exposes Parallel tools
  • session.mcp.url is the MCP endpoint that Autogen will connect to
6

Configure MCP parameters for Autogen

python
# Configure MCP server parameters for Streamable HTTP
server_params = StreamableHttpServerParams(
    url=url,
    timeout=30.0,
    sse_read_timeout=300.0,
    terminate_on_close=True,
    headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")}
)

Autogen expects parameters describing how to talk to the MCP server. That is what StreamableHttpServerParams is for.

What's happening:

  • url points to the Tool Router MCP endpoint from Composio
  • timeout is the HTTP timeout for requests
  • sse_read_timeout controls how long to wait when streaming responses
  • terminate_on_close=True cleans up the MCP server process when the workbench is closed
7

Create the model client and agent

python
# Create model client
model_client = OpenAIChatCompletionClient(
    model="gpt-5",
    api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")
)

# Use McpWorkbench as context manager
async with McpWorkbench(server_params) as workbench:
    # Create Parallel assistant agent with MCP tools
    agent = AssistantAgent(
        name="parallel_assistant",
        description="An AI assistant that helps with Parallel operations.",
        model_client=model_client,
        workbench=workbench,
        model_client_stream=True,
        max_tool_iterations=10
    )

What's happening:

  • OpenAIChatCompletionClient wraps the OpenAI model for Autogen
  • McpWorkbench connects the agent to the MCP tools
  • AssistantAgent is configured with the Parallel tools from the workbench
8

Run the interactive chat loop

python
print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n")
print("Ask any Parallel related question or task to the agent.\n")

# Conversation loop
while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()

    if user_input.lower() in ["exit", "quit", "bye"]:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break

    if not user_input:
        continue

    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

    # Run the agent with streaming
    try:
        response_text = ""
        async for message in agent.run_stream(task=user_input):
            if hasattr(message, "content") and message.content:
                response_text = message.content

        # Print the final response
        if response_text:
            print(f"Agent: {response_text}\n")
        else:
            print("Agent: I encountered an issue processing your request.\n")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Agent: Sorry, I encountered an error: {str(e)}\n")
What's happening:
  • The script prompts you in a loop with You:
  • Autogen passes your input to the model, which decides which Parallel tools to call via MCP
  • agent.run_stream(...) yields streaming messages as the agent thinks and calls tools
  • Typing exit, quit, or bye ends the loop

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Parallel and AutoGen:

python
import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio

from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient
from autogen_ext.tools.mcp import McpWorkbench, StreamableHttpServerParams

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    # Initialize Composio and create a Parallel session
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["parallel"]
    )
    url = session.mcp.url

    # Configure MCP server parameters for Streamable HTTP
    server_params = StreamableHttpServerParams(
        url=url,
        timeout=30.0,
        sse_read_timeout=300.0,
        terminate_on_close=True,
        headers={"x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")}
    )

    # Create model client
    model_client = OpenAIChatCompletionClient(
        model="gpt-5",
        api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")
    )

    # Use McpWorkbench as context manager
    async with McpWorkbench(server_params) as workbench:
        # Create Parallel assistant agent with MCP tools
        agent = AssistantAgent(
            name="parallel_assistant",
            description="An AI assistant that helps with Parallel operations.",
            model_client=model_client,
            workbench=workbench,
            model_client_stream=True,
            max_tool_iterations=10
        )

        print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n")
        print("Ask any Parallel related question or task to the agent.\n")

        # Conversation loop
        while True:
            user_input = input("You: ").strip()

            if user_input.lower() in ['exit', 'quit', 'bye']:
                print("\nGoodbye!")
                break

            if not user_input:
                continue

            print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

            # Run the agent with streaming
            try:
                response_text = ""
                async for message in agent.run_stream(task=user_input):
                    if hasattr(message, 'content') and message.content:
                        response_text = message.content

                # Print the final response
                if response_text:
                    print(f"Agent: {response_text}\n")
                else:
                    print("Agent: I encountered an issue processing your request.\n")

            except Exception as e:
                print(f"Agent: Sorry, I encountered an error: {str(e)}\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Conclusion

You now have an Autogen assistant wired into Parallel through Composio's Tool Router and MCP. From here you can:
  • Add more toolkits to the toolkits list, for example notion or hubspot
  • Refine the agent description to point it at specific workflows
  • Wrap this script behind a UI, Slack bot, or internal tool
Once the pattern is clear for Parallel, you can reuse the same structure for other MCP-enabled apps with minimal code changes.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Parallel action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Add Enrichment to FindAll Run

Tool to add an enrichment to a FindAll run.

Add Runs to Task Group

Tool to initiate multiple task runs within a TaskGroup.

Cancel FindAll Run

Tool to cancel an active FindAll run by findall_id.

Create Chat Completions

Tool to get realtime chat completions from Parallel AI.

Create Monitor

Tool to create a web monitor that periodically runs the specified query.

Create Task Group

Tool to create a new task group.

Create Task Run

Tool to create and initiate a task run.

Delete Monitor

Tool to delete a monitor, stopping all future executions.

Extend FindAll Run

Tool to extend a FindAll run by adding additional matches to the current match limit.

Extract Content from URLs

Tool to extract relevant content from specific web URLs.

Fetch Task Group Runs

Tool to retrieve task runs from a Task Group as a resumable stream.

Start FindAll Run

Tool to start a FindAll run.

Get FindAll Run Result

Tool to fetch the final (or latest available) FindAll candidates and result payload for a run.

Get FindAll Run Schema

Tool to retrieve the schema configuration of a FindAll run by findall_id.

Ingest FindAll Run

Tool to transform a natural language search objective into a structured FindAll specification.

List Monitor Events

Tool to list events for a monitor from up to the last 300 event groups.

List Monitors

Tool to list active monitors for the user.

Retrieve Event Group

Tool to retrieve an event group for a monitor.

Retrieve FindAll Run Status

Tool to retrieve status and metadata for a FindAll run by findall_id.

Retrieve Monitor

Tool to retrieve a specific monitor by ID.

Retrieve Task Group

Tool to retrieve details of a specific task group.

Retrieve Task Group Run

Tool to retrieve run status by run_id for a task group.

Retrieve Task Run

Tool to retrieve run status by run_id.

Retrieve Task Run Input

Tool to retrieve the input data of a specific task run by run_id.

Retrieve Task Run Result

Tool to retrieve the result of a task run by run_id, blocking until the run completes.

Parallel Search

Tool to perform parallel semantic search.

Simulate Event

Tool to simulate sending an event for a monitor.

Stream FindAll Events

Tool to stream events from a FindAll run.

Stream Task Group Events

Tool to stream events for a Task Group.

Stream Task Run Events

Tool to stream events for a Task Run.

Suggest Task

Tool to suggest tasks based on user intent.

Update Monitor

Tool to update a monitor's configuration.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Parallel MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Parallel tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Parallel and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Autogen fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Parallel tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Parallel scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Parallel data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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