Tool System

An Agent's core capability isn't answering questions — it's using tools. XClaw ships with a set of file system and code operation tools, and supports unlimited extension through the MCP protocol.

Built-in tools cover the most common development operations: reading and editing files, running Shell commands, searching codebases (Glob and Grep), browsing directory structures. These tools are designed to let the Agent work like a developer with terminal access.

Tool invocation is part of the Agent's reasoning process. When the Agent decides it needs a tool, it generates a structured tool call request. In Confirm mode, you see the full request — what command to run, what file to write — and decide whether to allow it.

XClaw optimizes tool handling in several key ways: tool calls support batching (unrelated operations can run in parallel), error recovery (one tool failure doesn't break the whole flow), and automatic retry (transient errors are retried automatically).

External tools connected via MCP look identical to built-in tools from the Agent's perspective. The Agent autonomously decides when to use which tool based on conversation context — no manual specification needed.

How to

Built-in tools work out of the box — no setup required. Give the Agent a task in a session and it picks the right tool automatically. Ask it to "check what's in this file" and it uses the file reader; ask it to "find all files containing TODO" and it uses Grep.

Want to see what tools the Agent currently has? In the session view, click the tool icon near the input box to expand the tool list, showing all built-in tools plus those exposed by connected MCP servers.

In Confirm mode, the Agent shows detailed info before each tool call: the command it will execute, the file content it will write, etc. You can review and approve or reject. If you find yourself approving the same types of operations repeatedly, consider switching to Auto mode for better efficiency.

Want to expand the Agent's tool capabilities? Head to Settings > MCP Connections and add a new MCP server. Newly added tools appear in the Agent's available tool list immediately.