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Tools

Dial Code comes with 25+ built-in tools that extend its capabilities beyond simple text generation.

What Are Tools?

Tools are capabilities that Dial Code can invoke to interact with your system:

  • Read and write files
  • Execute shell commands
  • Search the web
  • Store persistent memory
  • And more...

Tool Categories

File System

Tool Description
read_file Read file contents
write_file Create or modify files
edit Smart code editing with diffs
list_directory List directory contents
glob Find files by pattern
grep Search file contents

Shell

Tool Description
run_shell_command Execute terminal commands

Web

Tool Description
web_fetch Fetch URL contents
web_search Search the web

Memory

Tool Description
save_memory Store persistent context
todo_write Track tasks

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Tool Description
mcp_tool Use external MCP servers

How Tools Work

1. Model Requests Tool

Based on your request, Dial Code decides which tools to use:

> What files are in this directory?
[Using list_directory tool]

2. Confirmation (if needed)

For sensitive operations, you'll be asked to confirm:

[run_shell_command] npm install express
Allow? (y/n)

3. Execution

The tool runs and results are returned to the model.

4. Response

Dial Code incorporates the results into its response.

Viewing Available Tools

List all available tools:

/tools

Output shows:

  • Tool name
  • Description
  • Whether confirmation is required

Tool Safety

Confirmation Required

These tools always require approval:

  • write_file - File modifications
  • run_shell_command - Shell execution
  • edit - Code changes

No Confirmation

These tools run automatically:

  • read_file - Reading files
  • list_directory - Listing directories
  • glob - Finding files
  • grep - Searching content

Sandbox Mode

Enable sandboxing for additional safety:

{
  "sandbox": true
}

In sandbox mode, file operations are restricted to the current directory.

Using Tools Directly

File References

Use @ to reference files:

> Explain @src/index.ts

Shell Passthrough

Use ! to run shell commands:

> !npm run test

Extending with MCP

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) allows adding external tools:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "database": {
      "command": "mcp-server-database",
      "args": ["--connection", "postgres://..."]
    }
  }
}

See MCP Integration for details.

Tool Output

Tool results can be:

  • Displayed directly
  • Summarized (for large outputs)
  • Truncated (configurable)

Configure in settings:

{
  "toolOutputTruncation": {
    "threshold": 10000,
    "maxLines": 500
  }
}

Common Patterns

Exploring Code

> Show me all TypeScript files in src/
[Using glob tool: src/**/*.ts]

Making Changes

> Add error handling to this function
[Using edit tool on src/utils.ts]
[Confirmation required]

Running Tests

> Run the test suite
[Using run_shell_command: npm test]
[Confirmation required]

Next Steps