Built-in Tools

Complete reference of all built-in tools available in Kortix

Overview

Kortix includes a comprehensive set of built-in tools organized into five categories. Each tool is registered in core/tools/tool_registry.py and can be imported and used immediately.

Core Tools

Essential tools for agent operation and user interaction.

Message Tool (message_tool)

Class: MessageTool
Module: core.tools.message_tool
Display Name: AskUser

Communicate with users during execution.

Methods

ask

Ask questions and communicate with users:

@openapi_schema({
    "type": "function",
    "function": {
        "name": "ask",
        "description": "Ask user questions during execution",
        "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "text": {"type": "string", "description": "Message to user"},
                "follow_up_answers": {"type": "array", "description": "Clickable options"},
                "attachments": {"type": "array", "description": "File attachments"}
            },
            "required": ["text"]
        }
    }
})

Usage Guide: Always include content in the text parameter. Never output raw text AND call ask with duplicate content. Use follow_up_answers to provide 2-4 actionable options.

complete

Signal that all work is finished:

complete(text: str, attachments: Optional[List] = None)

Only use when ALL tasks are 100% complete with no further user input needed.

Task List Tool (task_list_tool)

Class: TaskListTool
Module: core.tools.task_list_tool

Manage and track tasks during execution.

Methods

• create_task - Create a new task
• update_task - Update task status
• list_tasks - List all tasks
• delete_task - Delete a task

Expand Message Tool (expand_msg_tool)

Class: ExpandMessageTool
Module: core.tools.expand_msg_tool

Expand truncated or compressed messages.

Git Sync Tool (sb_git_sync)

Class: SandboxGitTool
Module: core.tools.sb_git_sync

Perform Git operations in the sandbox.

Sandbox Tools

Tools for interacting with the execution environment.

Shell Tool (sb_shell_tool)

Class: SandboxShellTool
Module: core.tools.sb_shell_tool
Display Name: Bash

Execute bash commands in the workspace.

Method: execute_command

@openapi_schema({
    "type": "function",
    "function": {
        "name": "execute_command",
        "description": "Execute bash command with optional timeout",
        "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "command": {"type": "string", "description": "Bash command"},
                "description": {"type": "string", "description": "Command description"},
                "folder": {"type": "string", "description": "Working directory"},
                "timeout": {"type": "integer", "description": "Timeout in seconds", "default": 300}
            },
            "required": ["command"]
        }
    }
})
async def execute_command(
    self,
    command: str,
    description: Optional[str] = None,
    folder: Optional[str] = None,
    timeout: int = 300
) -> ToolResult

Key Features:

• Real-time output streaming via PTY
• Default timeout: 300 seconds (max 600)
• Working directory persists between commands
• Supports tmux for long-running processes

Usage Guide Highlights:

• Use for terminal operations (git, npm, docker)
• DO NOT use for file operations - use specialized tools instead
• Always quote paths with spaces
• Chain dependent commands with &&
• For background processes, use tmux

Example:

# Install dependencies
result = await shell_tool.execute_command(
    command="npm install",
    description="Install project dependencies",
    timeout=120
)

# Long-running server
result = await shell_tool.execute_command(
    command="tmux new-session -d -s server 'npm run dev'",
    description="Start development server in background"
)

Files Tool (sb_files_tool)

Class: SandboxFilesTool
Module: core.tools.sb_files_tool

Perform file operations (create, edit, delete, list).

Key Methods

• create_file - Create new files
• edit_file - Edit existing files
• delete_file - Delete files
• list_directory - List directory contents
• move_file - Move/rename files

File Reader Tool (sb_file_reader_tool)

Class: SandboxFileReaderTool
Module: core.tools.sb_file_reader_tool

Read file contents with support for large files, pagination, and filtering.

Vision Tool (sb_vision_tool)

Class: SandboxVisionTool
Module: core.tools.sb_vision_tool

Analyze images using vision AI models.

Canvas Tool (sb_canvas_tool)

Class: SandboxCanvasTool
Module: core.tools.sb_canvas_tool

Create and manipulate visual canvases.

Spreadsheet Tool (sb_spreadsheet_tool)

Class: SandboxSpreadsheetTool
Module: core.tools.sb_spreadsheet_tool

Create and manipulate spreadsheets.

Presentation Tool (sb_presentation_tool)

Class: SandboxPresentationTool
Module: core.tools.sb_presentation_tool

Create presentations programmatically.

Expose Tool (sb_expose_tool)

Class: SandboxExposeTool
Module: core.tools.sb_expose_tool

Expose local ports for external access.

Image Edit Tool (sb_image_edit_tool)

Class: SandboxImageEditTool
Module: core.tools.sb_image_edit_tool

Edit and manipulate images.

Knowledge Base Tool (sb_kb_tool)

Class: SandboxKbTool
Module: core.tools.sb_kb_tool

Query knowledge base for context.

Upload File Tool (sb_upload_file_tool)

Class: SandboxUploadFileTool
Module: core.tools.sb_upload_file_tool

Handle file uploads to the sandbox.

Search Tools

Tools for information retrieval and research.

Web Search Tool (web_search_tool)

Class: SandboxWebSearchTool
Module: core.tools.web_search_tool
Display Name: WebSearch

Search the web for current information.

Methods

web_search

Search with single or batch queries:

web_search(
    query: Union[str, List[str]],
    num_results: int = 5,
    include_domains: Optional[List[str]] = None,
    exclude_domains: Optional[List[str]] = None
)

Best Practices:

• ALWAYS batch multiple queries into one call
• Include current year in queries (2025+)
• Always cite sources at the end of responses

scrape_webpage

Extract content from web pages:

scrape_webpage(
    url: str,
    prompt: Optional[str] = None
)

Converts HTML to markdown for easier processing.

Image Search Tool (image_search_tool)

Class: SandboxImageSearchTool
Module: core.tools.image_search_tool

Search for images on the web.

People Search Tool (people_search_tool)

Class: PeopleSearchTool
Module: core.tools.people_search_tool

Search for people and their information.

Company Search Tool (company_search_tool)

Class: CompanySearchTool
Module: core.tools.company_search_tool

Retrieve company information and data.

Paper Search Tool (paper_search_tool)

Class: PaperSearchTool
Module: core.tools.paper_search_tool

Search academic papers and research.

Utility Tools

Specialized tools for advanced functionality.

Browser Tool (browser_tool)

Class: BrowserTool
Module: core.tools.browser_tool

Advanced web browsing and scraping capabilities.

Vapi Voice Tool (vapi_voice_tool)

Class: VapiVoiceTool
Module: core.tools.vapi_voice_tool

Voice interaction capabilities via Vapi.

Reality Defender Tool (reality_defender_tool)

Class: RealityDefenderTool
Module: core.tools.reality_defender_tool

Detect deepfakes and manipulated media.

Apify Tool (apify_tool)

Class: ApifyTool
Module: core.tools.apify_tool

Web automation and scraping via Apify platform.

Composio Upload Tool (composio_upload_tool)

Class: ComposioUploadTool
Module: core.tools.composio_upload_tool

Upload files to Composio storage for use in Gmail attachments and other integrations.

Agent Builder Tools

Tools for creating and configuring agents.

Agent Config Tool (agent_config_tool)

Class: AgentConfigTool
Module: core.tools.agent_builder_tools.agent_config_tool

Configure agent settings and parameters.

Agent Creation Tool (agent_creation_tool)

Class: AgentCreationTool
Module: core.tools.agent_creation_tool

Create new agents programmatically.

MCP Search Tool (mcp_search_tool)

Class: MCPSearchTool
Module: core.tools.agent_builder_tools.mcp_search_tool

Search and discover MCP servers.

Credential Profile Tool (credential_profile_tool)

Class: CredentialProfileTool
Module: core.tools.agent_builder_tools.credential_profile_tool

Manage credential profiles for integrations.

Trigger Tool (trigger_tool)

Class: TriggerTool
Module: core.tools.agent_builder_tools.trigger_tool

Configure event triggers for agents.

Accessing Tools

From Tool Registry

from core.tools.tool_registry import get_all_tools, get_tool_class

# Get all available tools
tools_map = get_all_tools()

# Get specific tool class
tool_class = get_tool_class('core.tools.sb_shell_tool', 'SandboxShellTool')
tool_instance = tool_class(project_id, thread_manager)

By Category

from core.tools.tool_registry import get_tools_by_category

categorized = get_tools_by_category()
core_tools = categorized['core']
sandbox_tools = categorized['sandbox']
search_tools = categorized['search']

Tool Metadata

from core.tools.tool_registry import get_tool_metadata_summary

metadata = get_tool_metadata_summary('web_search_tool')
print(metadata['display_name'])  # "WebSearch"
print(metadata['description'])   # Tool description

Next Steps

• MCP Integration - Connect external tools
• Custom Tools - Create your own tools
• Tool System Overview - Architecture details