---
uid: ai.tooling
description: "Every built-in tool for Intent Architect AI agents: file operations, designer model tools, build and test tools, and conversation primitives."
---
# Agent Tools

Tools are the actions an agent can take during a turn - reading files, querying the model, building a project, asking the user a question, and so on. An agent only sees the tools listed in its `tools:` frontmatter, plus the always-available `use_skill` tool.

This document lists every built-in tool, what it does, and where it makes sense to use it.

---

## Quick lookup by purpose

| Want to…                                   | Use                                                             |
| ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Find files by name pattern                 | `glob`                                                          |
| Search file contents (regex)               | `grep`, `search_files`                                          |
| List a folder's contents                   | `list_directory`                                                |
| Get a high-level project overview          | `get_project_overview`                                          |
| Read a source file                         | `read_file`                                                     |
| Write a whole file                         | `write_file`                                                    |
| Patch a block inside a file                | `patch_file`                                                    |
| Delete a file                              | `delete_code_file`                                              |
| Apply staged changes to disk               | `apply_staged_file_changes`                                     |
| Build a .NET project                       | `dotnet_build`                                                  |
| Run .NET tests                             | `dotnet_test`                                                   |
| Run a configured task                      | `run_task`                                                      |
| Read the Intent designer model             | `get_designer_model_snapshot`                                   |
| Read details for a model element           | `get_designer_element_details`                                  |
| Read a designer diagram                    | `get_designer_diagram_snapshot`                                 |
| Search the model with regex                | `find_designer_elements`                                        |
| Modify the designer model                  | `apply_change_model_operations`                                 |
| Modify a diagram's layout                  | `apply_change_diagram_layout`                                   |
| Run an existing designer action            | `execute_designer_element_action`                               |
| List a designer's package references       | `get_designer_package_references`                               |
| Run the Software Factory and stage changes | `run_software_factory`                                          |
| Hand off work to a coding-agent task tab   | `create_ai_task`                                                |
| Search Intent / org documentation          | `search_docs`                                                   |
| Ask the user a question (multi-choice)     | `ask_user_question`                                             |
| Track progress with a todo list            | `todo_update`                                                   |
| Iterate on a written plan                  | `write_plan`                                                    |
| Request approval to implement a plan       | `implement_plan`                                                |
| Load a skill on demand                     | `use_skill`                                                     |

---

## Notes on context

Tools aren't tied to a specific context - `coding` and `modeling` agents can pick from the same toolbox. In practice, certain tools only make sense in certain contexts:

- **Designer tools** (`get_designer_*`, `find_designer_elements`, `apply_change_*`, `execute_designer_element_action`, `run_software_factory`) work against the Intent model, so they belong in **modeling** agents.
- **File-mutation tools** (`write_file`, `patch_file`, `delete_code_file`, `apply_staged_file_changes`, `dotnet_build`, `dotnet_test`, `run_task`) operate on the application's output codebase, so they belong in **coding** agents.
- **File-search tools** (`grep`, `glob`, `read_file`, `list_directory`, `get_project_overview`, `search_files`) operate on the application's output codebase and work in both contexts.
- **Conversation tools** (`ask_user_question`, `todo_update`, `use_skill`) work in any context.
- **Plan-mode tools** (`write_plan`, `implement_plan`) are only meaningful for planning agents.

> A tool's "context" is determined by which agents you list it in - there's no automatic enforcement.

Most tools require an `applicationId` parameter to identify which application's output folder or designer model to act on. Most also require a short `intention` string explaining *why* the tool is being called - this is shown to the user as a one-line summary of the action.

---

## Adding tools to an agent

Tools are wired up in an agent definition's frontmatter. Only listed tools are available - and `use_skill` is always added on top:

```yaml
---
name: My Reviewer
context: modeling
tools:
  - search_docs
  - get_designer_model_snapshot
  - find_designer_elements
  - read_file
  - grep
  - ask_user_question
maxIterations: 8
---

You are a model reviewer…
```

If a tool name doesn't match a known tool, it's silently skipped at startup.