# Built-In Tools Tabnine CLI provides built-in tools that the AI uses automatically to fulfill your requests. You don't call tools directly — the AI selects the right tool based on what you ask. ``` > What files are in the src directory? ``` The AI automatically uses the `list_directory` tool. ## Available Tools ### File Operations * **`read_file`** — Read file contents. Supports text, images (PNG, JPG, GIF, WEBP, SVG, BMP), audio (MP3, WAV, AIFF, AAC, OGG, FLAC), and PDF files. For text files, can read specific line ranges. * **`read_many_files`** — Read content from multiple files specified by glob patterns. Handles the same file types as `read_file`. Useful for bulk reads across a directory. * **`write_file`** — Create new files or overwrite existing ones. Creates parent directories if needed. * **`replace`** — Make precise text replacements in existing files. Requires significant surrounding context to ensure correct edits. Can replace a single occurrence (default) or all occurrences of a match. * **`list_directory`** — List files and subdirectories in a directory. Can filter using glob patterns and respects `.gitignore` and `.tabnineignore`. * **`glob`** — Find files matching glob patterns (e.g., `**/*.ts`, `src/*.js`). Returns absolute paths sorted by modification time (newest first). ### Search * **`grep_search`** — Search for regular expression patterns within file contents. Powered by [ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep) when available. Supports context lines, case sensitivity, literal string mode, file filtering, and match limits. > **Note:** Older documentation may refer to this tool as `search_file_content`. That name is a legacy alias — the actual tool name is `grep_search`. ### Shell * **`run_shell_command`** — Execute shell commands in your terminal. Supports background execution, working directory selection, and a brief description for the user. ### Web Tools (Disabled by Default) * **`web_fetch`** — Fetch and process content from URLs (including localhost). Can handle up to 20 URLs in a single call. See [Web Fetch](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/web-fetch) for details. These tools are **disabled by default** in Tabnine CLI. To enable them, add to your [`settings.json`](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/settings/settings-reference): ```json { "tools": { "enableWebFetchTool": true } } ``` * `enableWebFetchTool` — enables `web_fetch` (URL content fetching). Each setting controls its respective tool independently. ### Memory & Task Management * **`save_memory`** — Save concise global user preferences and facts that persist across all sessions and workspaces. Not for workspace-specific context. * **`write_todos`** — Manage subtask lists for complex requests. Tracks progress with statuses: `pending`, `in_progress`, `completed`, `cancelled`, `blocked`. ### Planning * **`enter_plan_mode`** — Switch to Plan Mode for safe research and planning of complex changes. In Plan Mode, only read-only tools are available. * **`exit_plan_mode`** — Finalize the plan and transition to implementation. Presents the plan for user approval before any edits begin. Plan Mode is controlled by the [`experimental.plan`](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/settings/settings-reference) setting (enabled by default). ### User Interaction * **`ask_user`** — Ask the user one or more questions to gather preferences, clarify requirements, or make decisions. Supports multiple-choice, free-text, and yes/no question types. ### Skills * **`activate_skill`** — Load a specialized [agent skill](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/agent-skills) by name. Skills provide expert guidance for specific tasks (e.g., coding guidelines, skill creation). Available skills vary by installation. ### Internal Documentation * **`get_internal_docs`** — Access Tabnine CLI's built-in documentation files. Without arguments, lists all available docs. With a path argument, returns the content of that doc file. ### Task Tracker (Experimental) These tools are gated behind [`experimental.taskTracker`](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/settings/settings-reference) (disabled by default). * **`tracker_create_task`** — Create a new task (epic, task, or bug). * **`tracker_update_task`** — Update an existing task's title, description, status, or dependencies. * **`tracker_get_task`** — Retrieve details for a specific task. * **`tracker_list_tasks`** — List tasks, optionally filtered by status, type, or parent. * **`tracker_add_dependency`** — Add a dependency between two tasks. * **`tracker_visualize`** — Render an ASCII tree visualization of the task graph. ### Built-In MCP Tools The following tools are powered by Tabnine's infrastructure and run as built-in MCP servers: * **Remote Code Search** — Search across your organization's codebases using Tabnine's cloud indexing. Controlled by `tools.enableRemoteCodeSearch` (enabled by default). * [**Coaching Guidelines**](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/context-engine/admin-console/coaching-guidelines-v) — AI-powered coding best practices tailored to your team. Controlled by `tools.enableCoaching` (enabled by default). ## Tool Summary | Tool Name | Display Name | Category | | ------------------------ | ----------------- | ----------- | | `read_file` | ReadFile | File | | `read_many_files` | ReadManyFiles | File | | `write_file` | WriteFile | File | | `replace` | Edit | File | | `list_directory` | ReadFolder | File | | `glob` | FindFiles | File | | `grep_search` | SearchText | Search | | `run_shell_command` | Shell | Execution | | `google_web_search` | GoogleSearch | Web | | `web_fetch` | WebFetch | Web | | `save_memory` | SaveMemory | Memory | | `write_todos` | WriteTodos | Planning | | `enter_plan_mode` | Enter Plan Mode | Planning | | `exit_plan_mode` | Exit Plan Mode | Planning | | `ask_user` | Ask User | Interaction | | `activate_skill` | Activate Skill | Skills | | `get_internal_docs` | GetInternalDocs | Docs | | `tracker_create_task` | Create Task | Tracker | | `tracker_update_task` | Update Task | Tracker | | `tracker_get_task` | Get Task | Tracker | | `tracker_list_tasks` | List Tasks | Tracker | | `tracker_add_dependency` | Add Dependency | Tracker | | `tracker_visualize` | Visualize Tracker | Tracker | ## Viewing Tools in the CLI To see which tools are currently available: ``` /tools ``` To include descriptions: ``` /tools desc ``` This shows all registered tools from the tool registry, including any [MCP tools](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/mcp-server-config) and [subagents](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/subagents) you have configured. ## Tool Configuration ### Auto-Approval By default, tools that modify files or execute commands require user confirmation. Read-only tools (read, search, list, glob) execute automatically. To auto-approve specific tools, use the `tools.allowed` setting: ```json { "tools": { "allowed": [ "run_shell_command(git)", "run_shell_command(npm test)", "write_file" ] } } ``` For shell commands, you can narrow approval to specific command prefixes by using the `run_shell_command(prefix)` syntax. {% hint style="info" %} You can also change the approval mode during a session using `Ctrl+Y` to cycle between Default, Auto-Edit, and Plan modes. See [Keyboard Shortcuts](https://docs.tabnine.com/main/getting-started/tabnine-cli/features/keyboard-shortcuts) for the full list. {% endhint %} ### Restricting Tools To restrict which built-in tools are available: ```json { "tools": { "core": ["read_file", "grep_search", "list_directory", "glob"], "exclude": ["run_shell_command"] } } ``` * `tools.core` — Allowlist of built-in tool names. Only these tools are loaded. * `tools.exclude` — Denylist of tool names to remove. ### Tool Settings Reference | Setting | Type | Default | Description | | ----------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `tools.shell.enableInteractiveShell` | `boolean` | `true` | Use node-pty for an interactive shell. Falls back to `child_process` if unavailable. | | `tools.shell.showColor` | `boolean` | `false` | Show color in shell output. | | `tools.shell.pager` | `string` | `"cat"` | Pager command for shell output. | | `tools.shell.inactivityTimeout` | `number` | `300` | Max seconds without output before shell times out (5 minutes). | | `tools.shell.enableShellOutputEfficiency` | `boolean` | `true` | Enable shell output efficiency optimizations. | | `tools.useRipgrep` | `boolean` | `true` | Use ripgrep for `grep_search`. Falls back to built-in grep if disabled or unavailable. | | `tools.enableWebTools` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable the `google_web_search` tool. | | `tools.enableWebFetchTool` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable the `web_fetch` tool. | | `tools.enableRemoteCodeSearch` | `boolean` | `true` | Enable Tabnine Remote Code Search MCP server. | | `tools.enableCoaching` | `boolean` | `true` | Enable Tabnine Coaching Guidelines MCP server. | | `tools.truncateToolOutputThreshold` | `number` | `40000` | Truncate tool output exceeding this many characters. First 20% and last 80% are kept. | | `tools.searchOutputLimitEnabled` | `boolean` | `true` | Limit search tool result size. | | `tools.searchMaxChars` | `number` | `50000` | Max characters from search tools. | | `tools.disableLLMCorrection` | `boolean` | `true` | Disable LLM-based error correction for the `replace` tool. When true, edits fail immediately if the exact string isn't found instead of attempting self-correction. | | `tools.allowed` | `string[]` | — | Tool names that bypass the confirmation dialog. | | `tools.core` | `string[]` | — | Restrict built-in tools to this allowlist. | | `tools.exclude` | `string[]` | — | Tool names to exclude entirely. | | `experimental.plan` | `boolean` | `true` | Enable Plan Mode (`enter_plan_mode` / `exit_plan_mode`). | | `experimental.taskTracker` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable experimental task tracker tools. | {% hint style="info" %} Tools that modify files or run shell commands always ask for confirmation before performing the action, unless auto-approved via `tools.allowed` or the approval mode is set to YOLO or Auto-Edit. {% endhint %}