OpenClaude Built-in Tools: Complete Reference for 2024

OpenClaude ships with 40+ built-in tools that LLMs can invoke for web search, file operations, task management, code analysis, and more — organized under src/tools/ and registered via the central Tool framework in src/Tool.js.

This guide catalogs every available tool in the Gitlawb/openclaude repository, with source file paths, implementation status, and runnable code examples for the most commonly used capabilities.

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What Are OpenClaude Built-in Tools?

OpenClaude's built-in tools are TypeScript modules that extend the LLM's capabilities beyond text generation. Each tool is a buildTool export located in its own subdirectory under src/tools/. The core Tool framework (src/Tool.js) provides the abstraction layer that registers these tools with the execution engine.

Tools follow a consistent pattern: they accept a parameter object, a ToolUseContext, permission flags, and a progress callback. This standardization makes it straightforward to add custom tools or invoke existing ones programmatically.

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Complete List of OpenClaude Built-in Tools

The table below enumerates all tools found in the main branch, grouped by functional category.

Web and External Data Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
WebSearchTool	Performs web search via DuckDuckGo, Bing, Brave, or other backends	src/tools/WebSearchTool/WebSearchTool.ts
WebFetchTool	Retrieves URL contents with permission model enforcement	src/tools/WebFetchTool/WebFetchTool.ts

File System Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
FileReadTool	Reads file contents with size limits and image processing	src/tools/FileReadTool/FileReadTool.ts
FileWriteTool	Writes raw text to files, creating them if needed	src/tools/FileWriteTool/FileWriteTool.ts
FileEditTool	In-place file editing (insert, replace, delete lines)	src/tools/FileEditTool/FileEditTool.ts
GlobTool	Expands file globs like **/*.ts and returns matching paths	src/tools/GlobTool/GlobTool.ts
GrepTool	Runs regex search across repository files	src/tools/GrepTool/GrepTool.ts
SnipTool	Extracts code snippets by line numbers or markers	src/tools/SnipTool/SnipTool.ts

Repository and Code Intelligence Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
RepoMapTool	Generates symbol/file maps to help locate relevant code	src/tools/RepoMapTool/RepoMapTool.ts
LSPTool	Language Server Protocol queries (definitions, references)	src/tools/LSPTool/LSPTool.ts
EnterWorktreeTool	Enters a Git work-tree context	src/tools/EnterWorktreeTool/EnterWorktreeTool.ts
ExitWorktreeTool	Exits a Git work-tree context	src/tools/ExitWorktreeTool/ExitWorktreeTool.ts

Task and Project Management Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
TaskCreateTool	Creates new tasks with metadata	src/tools/TaskCreateTool/TaskCreateTool.ts
TaskGetTool	Retrieves details of a single task	src/tools/TaskGetTool/TaskGetTool.ts
TaskListTool	Lists tasks matching a filter	src/tools/TaskListTool/TaskListTool.ts
TaskUpdateTool	Updates task fields (status, description, etc.)	src/tools/TaskUpdateTool/TaskUpdateTool.ts
TaskStopTool	Stops a running task	src/tools/TaskStopTool/TaskStopTool.ts
TodoWriteTool	Adds TODO items to designated files or lists	src/tools/TodoWriteTool/TodoWriteTool.ts
MonitorTool	Monitors long-running tasks and reports progress	src/tools/MonitorTool/MonitorTool.ts

Team and MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
TeamCreateTool	Creates teams in the MCP environment	src/tools/TeamCreateTool/TeamCreateTool.ts
TeamDeleteTool	Deletes teams from the MCP	src/tools/TeamDeleteTool/TeamDeleteTool.ts
MCPTool	General-purpose Model-Control-Plane API interface	src/tools/MCPTool/MCPTool.ts
ReadMcpResourceTool	Reads resources from the MCP store	src/tools/ReadMcpResourceTool/ReadMcpResourceTool.ts

Shell and Command Execution Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
BashTool	Executes Bash commands in sandboxed environment	src/tools/BashTool/BashTool.ts
PowerShellTool	Executes PowerShell commands safely	src/tools/PowerShellTool/PowerShellTool.ts

Scheduling and Automation Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
CronCreateTool	Creates scheduled cron jobs	src/tools/ScheduleCronTool/CronCreateTool.ts
CronDeleteTool	Deletes scheduled cron jobs	src/tools/ScheduleCronTool/CronDeleteTool.tsc
CronListTool	Lists scheduled cron jobs	src/tools/ScheduleCronTool/CronListTool.ts

Content Processing and Review Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
BriefTool	Generates short summaries of longer documents	src/tools/BriefTool/BriefTool.ts
ReviewArtifactTool	Reviews artifacts (code diffs) and surfaces comments	src/tools/ReviewArtifactTool/ReviewArtifactTool.ts
NotebookEditTool	Programmatically edits notebook cells (Jupyter, etc.)	src/tools/NotebookEditTool/NotebookEditTool.ts

Workflow and Planning Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
WorkflowTool	Executes user-defined workflows of chained tool calls	src/tools/WorkflowTool/WorkflowTool.ts
EnterPlanModeTool	Starts a planning phase for action sequences	src/tools/EnterPlanModeTool/EnterPlanModeTool.ts
ExitPlanModeV2Tool	Exits plan mode after planning phase	src/tools/ExitPlanModeTool/ExitPlanModeV2Tool.ts

Utility and Meta Tools

Tool	Purpose	Source File
ToolSearchTool	Finds tools matching a user query	src/tools/ToolSearchTool/ToolSearchTool.ts
CtxInspectTool	Inspects current LLM context (messages, tool uses)	src/tools/CtxInspectTool/CtxInspectTool.ts
SendMessageTool	Sends messages to channels or conversations	src/tools/SendMessageTool/SendMessageTool.ts
RemoteTriggerTool	Triggers remote actions like webhooks	src/tools/RemoteTriggerTool/RemoteTriggerTool.ts
SkillTool	Framework for "skill" extensions (custom LLM capabilities)	src/tools/SkillTool/SkillTool.ts
SyntheticOutputTool	Generates synthetic output for testing/demos	src/tools/SyntheticOutputTool/SyntheticOutputTool.ts
OverflowTestTool	Stress-tests handling of very large inputs/outputs	src/tools/OverflowTestTool/OverflowTestTool.ts

Placeholder Tools (Not Yet Implemented)

The following tools are defined as null stubs in the source code and reserved for future releases:

• VerifyPlanExecutionTool — intended to verify plan execution
• TungstenTool — reserved for Tungsten service integration
• SuggestBackgroundPRTool — planned for PR suggestions
• REPLTool — intended for interactive REPL sessions

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How to Invoke OpenClaude Built-in Tools

All tools share a common call signature defined in src/Tool.js. The pattern requires five arguments:

1. Parameters object — tool-specific arguments
2. ToolUseContext — runtime context supplied by OpenClaude
3. Permission flag — boolean for permission checks
4. Parent message — usually null for top-level calls
5. Progress callback — function receiving progress updates

Web Search Example

import { WebSearchTool } from './src/tools/WebSearchTool/WebSearchTool.js';

const result = await WebSearchTool.call(
  { query: 'latest TypeScript 5.5 features', maxResults: 3 },
  toolUseContext,
  true,  // permission check enabled
  null,  // no parent message
  (progress) => console.log('Search progress:', progress)
);

console.log(result);

The WebSearchTool in src/tools/WebSearchTool/WebSearchTool.ts supports multiple backends (DuckDuckGo, Bing, Brave) and returns concise, structured results suitable for LLM consumption.

File Operations Example

import { FileReadTool } from './src/tools/FileReadTool/FileReadTool.js';
import { FileWriteTool } from './src/tools/FileWriteTool/FileWriteTool.js';

// Read with size limit
const contents = await FileReadTool.call(
  { path: 'README.md', maxBytes: 10_000 },
  ctx,
  true,
  null,
  () => {}
);

console.log('File contents:', contents);

// Write new file
await FileWriteTool.call(
  { path: 'notes/todo.txt', content: '🔧 Fix bug #42\n' },
  ctx,
  true,
  null,
  () => {}
);

Both tools respect OpenClaude's permission model. FileReadTool handles image processing when detecting binary formats, while FileWriteTool creates parent directories automatically.

Task Management Example

import { TaskCreateTool } from './src/tools/TaskCreateTool/TaskCreateTool.js';
import { TaskListTool } from './src/tools/TaskListTool/TaskListTool.js';

// Create task
await TaskCreateTool.call(
  {
    title: 'Update dependencies',
    description: 'Run `bun upgrade`',
    assignee: 'devops'
  },
  ctx,
  true,
  null,
  () => {}
);

// List open tasks
const tasks = await TaskListTool.call(
  { status: 'open' },
  ctx,
  true,
  null,
  () => {}
);

console.table(tasks);

The task tools (TaskCreateTool, TaskGetTool, TaskListTool, TaskUpdateTool, TaskStopTool) form a complete CRUD interface for project management within OpenClaude's MCP environment.

Repository Search Example

import { GrepTool } from './src/tools/GrepTool/GrepTool.js';

const matches = await GrepTool.call(
  { pattern: 'TODO', include: '**/*.ts' },
  ctx,
  true,
  null,
  () => {}
);

console.log('Found TODOs in:', matches);

GrepTool in src/tools/GrepTool/GrepTool.ts runs regex searches efficiently across the repository, while GlobTool handles file pattern expansion.

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Tool Architecture and Key Files

Understanding the file structure helps when extending or debugging tools:

Path	Purpose
src/Tool.js	Core abstraction with ToolDef interface and ToolUseContext
src/utils/toolResultStorage.ts	Persists tool results for later reference
src/tools/**/index.ts	Barrel exports for convenient imports
src/tools/**/*Tool.ts	Individual tool implementations
src/tools/**/prompt.ts	LLM-facing prompt templates
src/tools/**/constants.ts	Permission scopes and default settings
src/tools/**/test.ts	Unit tests in the CI validation suite

Each tool directory is self-contained. For example, src/tools/BashTool/ contains BashTool.ts, prompt.ts, constants.ts, and test.ts.

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Summary

• OpenClaude provides 40+ built-in tools across web search, file operations, task management, code intelligence, shell execution, and more
• All tools live under src/tools/ and export via buildTool for registration with the Tool framework
• Tools share a consistent API with five parameters: arguments, context, permission flag, parent message, and progress callback
• Four tools are currently placeholders (null) and reserved for future releases: VerifyPlanExecutionTool, TungstenTool, SuggestBackgroundPRTool, and REPLTool
• The modular design enables extending the toolset while maintaining reliability through isolated implementations and comprehensive test coverage

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a custom tool to OpenClaude?

Create a new directory under src/tools/YourToolName/ with YourToolName.ts implementing the buildTool export, plus prompt.ts, constants.ts, and test.ts following existing patterns. Register it in the tool registry by importing and exporting from the appropriate barrel file.

What permission model do OpenClaude tools use?

Each tool checks a boolean permission flag passed to call(). The constants.ts in each tool directory defines permission scopes. WebFetchTool and shell tools (BashTool, PowerShellTool) have stricter default permissions than file or search tools.

Can I use OpenClaude tools outside the LLM runtime?

Yes — instantiate a ToolUseContext manually. Most CLI or UI scenarios receive this from the framework, but programmatic usage requires constructing the context with appropriate message history and environment state.

Which search backends does WebSearchTool support?

According to src/tools/WebSearchTool/WebSearchTool.ts, the tool supports DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Brave as configurable backends, with DuckDuckGo as the default for privacy-focused searches.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}