Tools - Agentbase Docs

Agents automatically select and use tools based on your task. No configuration required.

How Tools Work

Agents automatically choose tools when needed:

// Agent will automatically use web browsing tools
const research = await agentbase.runAgent({
  message: "Find the latest pricing for our competitors",
});

// Agent will automatically create computer environment and use bash/file tools
const development = await agentbase.runAgent({
  message: "Create a Python script that processes CSV data",
});

Built-in Tools

Here are the built-in tools that Agentbase agents have access to:

Category	Tool	Description
File System	`str_replace_editor`	Create, edit, view, and manage files with persistent state across sessions
	`bash`	Run shell commands with internet access and package management capabilities
	`glob`	Find files using glob patterns (e.g., `.js`, `/.ts`)
	`grep`	Search for text patterns in files with regex support
Web Tools	`web` (search)	Search the web for real-time information and current data
	`web` (crawl)	Extract content from specific URLs and websites
Computer Environment	`computer`	Create/resume Linux computer instances for development tasks
Thinking & Planning	`think`	Private scratchpad for complex reasoning, planning, and maintaining context
Development Environment	Python 3.11.2	Execute Python code and scripts
	Node.js 18.20.4	JavaScript runtime environment
	Package management	apt (Debian), pip (Python), npm (Node.js)

Example Tool Event Flow

When agents use tools, the API streams real-time events showing tool execution:

// Tool execution starts
{"type": "agent_tool_use", "content": "{\"tool\":\"web\",\"input\":\"{\\\"command\\\":\\\"search\\\",\\\"query\\\":\\\"AI developments 2025\\\"}\"}"}

// Tool returns results
{"type": "agent_tool_response", "content": "{\n  \"tool\": \"web\",\n  \"response\": [\n    {\n      \"url\": \"https://example.com/ai-news\",\n      \"title\": \"Latest AI Developments\"\n    }\n  ]\n}"}

// Cost tracking
{"type": "agent_cost", "session": "abc123", "cost": "0.0095", "balance": 47.45}

// Step completion
{"type": "agent_step", "session": "abc123", "stepNumber": 1}

Custom Tools

You can write custom code tools with environment variables in the Agentbase app’s Tools section:

Custom tools interface showing code editor with environment variables

// Example custom tool usage
const result = await agentbase.runAgent({
  message: "Get customer data for user ID 12345",
  tools: ["get_customer_data"], // deployed tool name on the agentbase app
});

Key Points

Tools are selected automatically based on your task
No manual configuration or tool specification required
Computer environments created when needed for stateful operations
All tools work together seamlessly in workflows