Tools reference

Claude Code has access to a set of built-in tools that help it understand and modify your codebase. The tool names are the exact strings you use in permission rules, subagent tool lists, and hook matchers. To control which tools Claude can use and when it asks first, configure permission rules in your settings, hooks, or a subagent’s tool list. See Configure tools with permission rules and hooks for each place that accepts a tool name. To add custom tools, connect an MCP server. To extend Claude with reusable prompt-based workflows, write a skill, which runs through the existing Skill tool rather than adding a new tool entry.

On Pro, Max, and Team plans, Claude Code starts sessions in auto mode, where a classifier decides most of these prompts instead of you. The Permission required column shows whether the tool prompts in Manual mode for paths inside the working directory. File-access tools marked No, including Read, Grep, and Glob, still prompt for paths outside the working directory and additional directories. Bash is marked Yes but runs a built-in set of read-only commands without prompting.

Tool	Description	Permission required
`Agent`	Spawns a subagent with its own context window to handle a task. With agent teams enabled, a call that carries a `name` can launch a teammate instead. See Agent tool behavior	No
`Artifact`	Publishes an HTML or Markdown file as an artifact: a private, interactive page on claude.ai. You can share it with a public link, or inside your organization on Team and Enterprise plans, where public sharing requires an Owner to enable it. Requires a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan and `/login` authentication; see Availability	Yes
`AskUserQuestion`	Asks multiple-choice questions to gather requirements or clarify ambiguity. Questions stay open until you answer them by default. See AskUserQuestion tool behavior	No
`Bash`	Executes shell commands in your environment. See Bash tool behavior	Yes
`CronCreate`	Schedules a recurring or one-shot prompt within the current session. Tasks are session-scoped and restored on `--resume` or `--continue` if unexpired. See scheduled tasks	No
`CronDelete`	Cancels a scheduled task by ID	No
`CronList`	Lists all scheduled tasks in the session	No
`Edit`	Makes targeted edits to specific files. See Edit tool behavior	Yes
`EndConversation`	Ends the session, in rare cases of sustained abusive input or when you ask Claude to demonstrate the tool. Requires Claude Code v2.1.213 or later. See EndConversation tool behavior	No
`EnterPlanMode`	Switches to plan mode to design an approach before coding	No
`EnterWorktree`	Creates an isolated git worktree and switches into it. Pass a `path` to switch into an existing worktree instead of creating a new one. On first entry the target may be a worktree of the current repository or, in a multi-repo workspace, of a repository nested inside it. Before v2.1.203, a nested repository’s worktree was rejected. A `path` outside `.claude/worktrees/` prompts for your approval before entering, since it moves the session’s working directory and write access to that location. New-worktree creation and paths under `.claude/worktrees/` don’t prompt. Before v2.1.206, Claude entered paths outside `.claude/worktrees/` without a prompt. From within a worktree session, or from a subagent with a pinned working directory such as `isolation: worktree`, only the `path` form is available and the target must be under `.claude/worktrees/` of the session’s repository	Yes
`ExitPlanMode`	Presents a plan for approval and exits plan mode	Yes
`ExitWorktree`	Exits a worktree session and returns to the original directory. Not available to subagents that already run in their own working directory, such as with `isolation: worktree`	No
`Glob`	Finds files based on pattern matching. Absent by default on macOS, Linux, and WSL. See Glob tool behavior	No
`Grep`	Searches for patterns in file contents. Absent by default on macOS, Linux, and WSL. See Grep tool behavior	No
`ListAgents`	Lists the agents Claude can message with `SendMessage`: subagents in the session, agent team teammates, your other local Claude Code sessions, and, while this session is connected to Remote Control, your Claude Code on the web sessions and your Remote Control sessions on other machines. Backs the `/list-agents` command. See cross-session messaging. Requires Claude Code v2.1.224 or later, and appears only in sessions where cross-session messaging is enabled. Teammate rows and the first line showing this session’s own name require v2.1.239 or later	No
`ListMcpResourcesTool`	Lists resources exposed by connected MCP servers	No
`LSP`	Code intelligence via language servers: jump to definitions, find references, report type errors and warnings. See LSP tool behavior	No
`Monitor`	Runs a command in the background and feeds each output line back to Claude, so it can react to log entries, file changes, or polled status mid-conversation. Can also open a WebSocket and treat each incoming message as an event. See Monitor tool	Yes
`NotebookEdit`	Modifies Jupyter notebook cells. See NotebookEdit tool behavior	Yes
`PowerShell`	Executes PowerShell commands natively. See PowerShell tool for availability	Yes
`PushNotification`	Sends a desktop notification, and a phone push when Remote Control is connected, so a long-running task or scheduled task can reach you when you step away. Push delivery runs through Anthropic-hosted infrastructure, which is not accessible from Amazon Bedrock, Claude Platform on AWS, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry	No
`Read`	Reads the contents of files. See Read tool behavior	No
`ReadMcpResourceTool`	Reads a specific MCP resource by URI	No
`RemoteTrigger`	Creates, updates, runs, and lists Routines on claude.ai. Backs the `/schedule` command. The `RemoteTrigger` input reference documents every action and the organization policies that remove the tool. Routines live on claude.ai and require a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan, so this tool is not accessible from Amazon Bedrock, Claude Platform on AWS, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry	No
`ReportFindings`	Reports code-review findings as a structured list, with a file, summary, and failure scenario per finding, so Claude Code can render them instead of printing them as text. Claude calls it when active code-review instructions tell it to. Requires Claude Code v2.1.196 or later. As of v2.1.199, a finding can also carry an optional `category` slug, such as `correctness` or `test-coverage`, shown next to the file location in the rendered list	No
`ScheduleWakeup`	Reschedules the next iteration of a self-paced `/loop`. Claude calls this at the end of each iteration to pick when the next one runs, between one minute and one hour out; you don’t call it directly. To end the loop instead, Claude calls it with `stop: true`, which cancels the pending wakeup. The `stop` field requires Claude Code v2.1.202 or later. The pending wakeup appears in `session_crons` in Stop hook input	No
`SendFeedback`	Drafts a feedback report about Claude Code, covering a product problem or Claude’s own behavior in the session, and queues it on your machine for you to review. Claude Code sends nothing until you choose to send the draft. See SendFeedback tool behavior. Requires Claude Code v2.1.238 or later	No
`SendMessage`	Sends a message to another agent: an agent team teammate, a subagent it resumes by agent ID or name, or one of your other Claude Code sessions, on this machine or beyond it. Messaging other sessions requires Claude Code v2.1.224 or later. Cross-session messaging covers which sessions Claude can reach, what a message looks like when it arrives, and how Claude gets a notice when another session goes idle. Claude can include an optional `summary` input, typically 5-10 words, that Claude Code shows as a one-line preview. When Claude omits it on a plain-text message, Claude Code uses the first line of the message as the summary. Claude Code truncates a summary longer than 200 characters with an ellipsis	No
`SendUserFile`	Sends files from the session to you with an optional caption, so a generated report, diagram, screenshot, or built artifact reaches your device instead of only being mentioned in the transcript. As of v2.1.196, the optional `display` input controls presentation: `render` opens the file inline in the client, `attach` shows a download card only, and when unset the client decides by file type. Available when a Remote Control client is connected or the session runs in a managed cloud environment such as Claude Code on the web. Delivery runs through Anthropic-hosted infrastructure, so the tool is not available on Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry	No
`ShareOnboardingGuide`	Uploads `ONBOARDING.md` and returns a share link teammates can open in Claude Code. Called from `/team-onboarding` after the guide is written. Available to claude.ai subscribers on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans	Yes
`Skill`	Executes a skill within the main conversation	Yes
`TaskCreate`	Creates a new task in the task list. Provided by default only on the models listed under Task tool availability, and on other models when you opt in	No
`TaskGet`	Retrieves full details for a specific task. Provided by default only on the models listed under Task tool availability, and on other models when you opt in	No
`TaskList`	Lists all tasks with their current status. Provided by default only on the models listed under Task tool availability, and on other models when you opt in	No
`TaskOutput`	Retrieves output from a background task. Deprecated in favor of `Read` on the task’s output file path. When no task matches the ID, the error lists the running background agents by ID and description. Before v2.1.203, the error named only the missing ID	No
`TaskStop`	Stops a running background task by ID. It also accepts an agent-team teammate or a named background agent by agent ID or name. Before v2.1.198, it accepted only a background task ID. When no task matches the ID, the error lists the running background agents by ID and description, including agents that another agent spawned. Before v2.1.203, the error listed running teammates and named agents but not background agents another agent spawned, so those couldn’t be identified or stopped from the main conversation	No
`TaskUpdate`	Updates task status, dependencies, details, or deletes tasks. Provided by default only on the models listed under Task tool availability, and on other models when you opt in	No
`TodoWrite`	Manages the session task checklist. Disabled by default in favor of `TaskCreate`, `TaskGet`, `TaskList`, and `TaskUpdate`. Set `CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=0` to re-enable it in sessions that have the task-tracking tools	No
`ToolSearch`	Searches for and loads deferred tools when tool search is enabled	No
`WaitForMcpServers`	Waits for one or more MCP servers that are still connecting in the background, so a request can use their tools without restarting the session. Claude calls it when a needed server isn’t connected yet. Only appears when tool search is disabled, since `ToolSearch` handles the wait when it’s enabled	No
`WebFetch`	Fetches content from a specified URL. See WebFetch tool behavior	Yes
`WebSearch`	Performs web searches. See WebSearch tool behavior	Yes
`Workflow`	Runs a dynamic workflow: a script that orchestrates many subagents in the background and returns one consolidated result	Yes
`Write`	Creates or overwrites files. See Write tool behavior	Yes

Configure tools with permission rules and hooks

For the most part, Claude decides when to use these tools and you don’t need to name them yourself when interacting with Claude. You reference tool names directly when defining permissions and other configuration:

in permissions.allow and permissions.deny in settings, and the /permissions interface
in the --allowedTools and --disallowedTools CLI flags
in the Agent SDK’s allowedTools and disallowedTools options
in a skill’s allowed-tools frontmatter
in a hook’s if condition

All of these accept the same rule format, ToolName(specifier). The specifier depends on the tool, and several tools share a format:

Rule format	Applies to	Details
`Bash(npm run *)`	Bash, Monitor	Command pattern matching
`PowerShell(Get-ChildItem *)`	PowerShell	Command pattern matching
`Read(~/secrets/**)`	Read, Grep, Glob, LSP	Path pattern matching
`Edit(/src/**)`	Edit, Write, NotebookEdit	Path pattern matching
`Skill(deploy *)`	Skill	Skill name matching
`Agent(Explore)`	Agent	Subagent type matching
`WebFetch(domain:example.com)`	WebFetch	Domain matching
`WebSearch`	WebSearch	No specifier; allow or deny the tool as a whole

Tools not listed here, such as ExitPlanMode or ShareOnboardingGuide, accept only the bare tool name with no specifier. An Edit(...) allow rule also grants read access to the same path, so you don’t need a matching Read(...) rule. A Read(...) deny rule also blocks the Edit and Write tools on the same path, including creating a new file there, because both tools change content Claude has to be able to read back. The Read deny check requires Claude Code v2.1.208 or later on edits, and v2.1.228 or later on writes. Hook matcher fields use bare tool names, not the parenthesized rule format. See matcher patterns for the matching rules. For the field names each tool passes to tool_input in hooks, see the PreToolUse input reference.

Agent tool behavior

The Agent tool spawns a subagent in a separate context window. The subagent works through its task autonomously, then returns a single text result to the parent conversation. The parent doesn’t see the subagent’s intermediate tool calls or outputs, only that final result. With agent teams enabled, a call that carries a name can launch a teammate instead, which reports back through team messages rather than by returning a result. To cap how many turns a subagent runs, set maxTurns in the subagent definition. When the subagent reaches the limit, Claude Code marks the returned result as partial output, and Claude can resume the subagent to continue. The same Agent tool also launches forked subagents wherever fork mode is on. A fork inherits the full parent conversation instead of starting fresh, runs in the background apart from the cases that stay in the foreground, and still surfaces permission prompts in your terminal. The rest of this section describes non-fork subagents. Which tools a non-fork subagent can use depends on the tools and disallowedTools fields in the subagent definition:

Neither field set: the subagent inherits every tool available to subagents.
tools only: the subagent gets only the listed tools.
disallowedTools only: the subagent gets every parent tool except the listed ones.
Both set: disallowedTools takes precedence. A tool listed in both is removed.

In every case, the resolved set is limited to the tools available to subagents: a tool that isn’t available to subagents is never granted, even when listed in tools. If every entry in a subagent’s tools list fails to match a usable tool, the Agent tool usually returns an error naming the entries instead of launching the subagent; see Agent would be spawned with zero tools for the message and how to fix each entry. Launching the subagent doesn’t itself prompt for permission. Claude Code checks the subagent’s own tool calls against your permission rules as it runs. Where you see a subagent’s permission prompts depends on whether it runs in the foreground or the background. Claude Code runs subagents in the background by default, apart from the cases that run in the foreground.

Foreground subagents show the same permission prompts you would see in the main conversation, at the moment each tool call happens.
Background subagents surface permission prompts in your main session as of v2.1.186. The prompt names which subagent is asking, and pressing Esc denies that one tool call without stopping the subagent. Before v2.1.186, background subagents auto-denied any tool call that would otherwise prompt and continued without that tool.

To limit what a subagent can reach in the first place, narrow its tools field, for example by leaving Bash off the list, or set deny rules in your settings.

AskUserQuestion tool behavior

Claude uses AskUserQuestion to ask you multiple-choice questions when it needs a decision or a clarification. Answer by picking an option, or type your own text through the Other row or the notes field. When you answer by typing your own text, Claude Code relays the answer with neutral wording so Claude follows what you wrote, including a request to wait or explain first.

Question auto-continue timeout

Questions stay open until you answer them. If you want a question you leave unanswered to eventually close and let Claude continue without you, set the askUserQuestionTimeout setting to 60s, 5m, or 10m, either in your user settings.json or from the Question auto-continue timeout row in /config. After a question sits that long with no input, the dialog closes on its own: it submits any options you’d already selected and tells Claude you may be away from your keyboard, so Claude proceeds on its own judgment and can re-ask later. You see a countdown for the last 20 seconds. Press any key to restart the timer; on terminals that report focus, switching to the window restarts it too. The timeout applies only to AskUserQuestion’s multiple-choice questions; permission prompts, including plan approval, never auto-resolve on idle.

Bash tool behavior

The Bash tool runs each command in a separate process.

Reference

Glossary

Configure tools with permission rules and hooks

Agent tool behavior

AskUserQuestion tool behavior

Question auto-continue timeout

Bash tool behavior

​Configure tools with permission rules and hooks

​Agent tool behavior

​AskUserQuestion tool behavior

​Question auto-continue timeout

​Bash tool behavior

Configure tools with permission rules and hooks

Agent tool behavior

AskUserQuestion tool behavior

Question auto-continue timeout

Bash tool behavior