Fetch (MCP reference server) vs Parallel Search and Task APIs

Fetch (MCP reference server)

One tool of about 300 tokens, with max_length and start_index paging and a hint giving the next offset. Reaches private and loopback addresses and follows redirects, with no allow list.

Parallel Search and Task APIs

Fast-mode search at $1 per 1,000 with 10 excerpted results, and Extract at $1 per 1,000 URLs. Search defaults to advanced mode at $5 per 1,000 when mode is left out.

Fetch (MCP reference server)

1. Fetch with the 5,000-character default and continue from the start_index the truncation note gives
2. Expect empty bodies from JavaScript-rendered sites and switch to a browser tool
3. Treat a robots.txt refusal as final for autonomous calls and tell the user
4. Use raw: true only for non-HTML content. It skips the Markdown conversion and returns the page as served

Parallel Search and Task APIs

1. Pass mode: "fast" on every search. Without it you pay the advanced rate
2. Create Task runs with max_retries=0 and check for an existing run before retrying
3. Give an objective plus two or three short search_queries. That's what ranks the excerpts
4. On 402, check available balance rather than total. Running tasks reserve credit
5. Prefer natural-language source guidance to domain filters. The docs say filters can cut result quality