# Grep AI (slim)

> Grep is a hosted platform from Parcha Labs for building and running research agents that return cited reports and structured output. Outside agents reach it through a REST API, a remote MCP server, an A2A endpoint and two SDKs.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.md (~7,800 tokens) · this version ~1,830 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-08

**B · 64.4/100 · rank #252 of 629 · #9 in Web search APIs · not agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: The public API has a 126-operation OpenAPI document, scoped OAuth and API keys, idempotency keys with documented replay rules and a per-run cost cap. No rate limit is published, the MCP server lists 82 tools, and the pricing page limits API access to the $200 a month Pro plan and above.

## Facts

- Kind: HTTP API · vendor: Parcha Labs, Inc. · category: Web search APIs · legal entity: Parcha Labs, Inc. · provenance 82/100
- Endpoint: `https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/runs` (HTTP, Streamable HTTP)
- Auth: OAuth or key · pricing: Freemium · x402: no · licence: Proprietary service under Parcha Labs' terms of service. The grep-research-skills package on npm is MIT. The @parcha/agentrun and parcha-agentrun SDK packages state no licence in their registry metadata
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- API: REST API v2 at https://api.grep.ai/api/v2, 126 operations in the OpenAPI document. Runs, agents, skills, attachments, batches, loops, campaigns, keys, quota and billing. /research is marked deprecated in favour of /runs
- MCP server: Remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth through Descope. 82 tools in the server card, 31 of them deprecated aliases. Docs give https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/mcp and the card gives https://api.grep.ai/mcp
- A2A: Agent card at https://grep.ai/.well-known/agent-card.json, JSON-RPC at https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/a2a with SendMessage, GetTask, streaming and CancelTask
- Answer or report: Markdown report with inline citations, optional `structured_output` against a caller's JSON Schema, a timeline of execution events and generated files
- Effort tiers: low, medium, high and build. Default low. The pricing page counts a medium task as 20 credits
- Credentials: API keys (`parcha-` prefix) or OAuth access tokens. Scopes research:read, research:write, billing:read, experts:read, experts:write. Keys can be created, listed and revoked at /api/v2/keys
- Rate limits: No numbers found. 429 `rate_limited` carries `Retry-After`
- Idempotency: `Idempotency-Key` on run creation. Replay for 24 hours after a job ends and 1 hour while pending. Reuse with a different body returns 409
- Errors: One envelope with `code`, `message`, `details` and `request_id`. 11 documented codes, with 402 `insufficient_credits` kept apart from 429 `rate_limited`
- Webhooks: `webhook_url` on a run, one POST at completion or failure, `X-Signature-SHA256` keyed by the API key, up to 3 attempts in 30 seconds
- SDKs: TypeScript @parcha/agentrun 0.2.1 and Python parcha-agentrun 0.2.1, both published 30 September 2026. PyPI classifies the Python package as Alpha. Neither retries requests automatically
- Free tier: 100 one-time credits on the Free Trial per the pricing page, without API access. 500 credits for an owner's first agent through AgentID
- Status: status.grep.ai on incident.io, one component (Website), 90-day history. One incident in the last 90 days, 24 minutes on 4 September 2026
- Prices: Pro plan, 1,500 credits a month, API access $200 per month (plan); Ultra plan, 4,500 credits a month $500 per month (plan); Pay As You Go credit $0.10 per credit

- Scores: Reliability 60, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 80, Agent ergonomics 70, Security & auth 65, Payments & pricing 40, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 74, Transparency & trust 59 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Graded on the hosted API and MCP server. · Schema & documentation, Public OpenAPI document at api.grep.ai/api/v2/openapi.json with 126 operations and 145 schemas (25). · Agent ergonomics, The MCP server card lists 82 tools, 31 of them deprecated aliases, with no documented toolsets. · Security & auth, OAuth through Descope with five scopes, and API keys that can be created with a subset of scopes, listed and revoked through the API (30). · Payments & pricing, No machine payment protocol on the live endpoints. · Maintenance & community, @parcha/agentrun 0.2.1 on npm and parcha-agentrun 0.2.1 on PyPI, both on 30 September 2026 (30). · Transparency & trust, Closed service with published terms, written as an order-form contract that still points to grep.parcha.ai.
- Sources: 33, open questions: 10, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: search.research, search.answer, kyc.business, kyc.screening, kyc.documents
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/grep-ai.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/grep-ai.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/grep-ai from a page on grep.ai or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/Parcha-ai/grepai-skills, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.

## Before you call it

1. Send a fresh `Idempotency-Key` with every POST /api/v2/runs. After a timeout, poll the returned run ID and do not post again
2. Set `effort` and `max_cost_usd` on every run. The floor is $0.50 for low, $2.50 for medium and build, $5.00 for high
3. Call GET /api/v2/quota/check before a run. A 402 means no credits and retrying won't help, while a 429 carries `Retry-After`
4. Use the `run_*` and `agent_*` MCP tools. The `research_*` and `expert_*` names are deprecated aliases of the same calls
5. Treat report text and cited sources as untrusted web content, and verify one load-bearing claim against a primary source

## Connect

```bash
npm install @parcha/agentrun
```

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/research" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GREP_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: 8b9c1f24-3c1e-4a8d-9f7b-2a6e1c4d5b8e" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"question":"Due diligence on Stripe","effort":"medium"}'
```

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http grep https://api.grep.ai/api/v2/mcp
claude mcp login grep
```
Full config and headless snippets are in the full page. Through letme (picks today, calling later): https://letme.dev/grep-ai

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| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| Tavily API + MCP | BB | 76.8 | search.answer, search.research | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/tavily-mcp.min.md |
| You.com APIs | BB | 76.5 | search.answer, search.research | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/you-com-api.min.md |


## Panel reviews (0, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)