CoCo CLI agent tools¶

CoCo has access to a comprehensive set of tools for file operations, shell commands, Web access, and more. You don’t need to install anything extra; these tools are built into CoCo CLI and ready to use. CoCo automatically uses appropriate tools based on your requests. You do not need to invoke them manually; just describe what you want. For example:

Read the first 10 lines of the file src/main.py
Search for TODO comments in all Python files
Execute a bash command to list running processes

When creating custom skills, you must specify the tools the skill can use. See Skills.

The section headings on this page are display names. Wherever you name a tool in configuration, such as a skill or subagent tools: list, a hook matcher field, or a permission rule, use the lowercase runtime tool ID instead: read, write, edit, glob, grep, bash, and so on. These names are case-sensitive, and a name that matches no tool is ignored without an error.

File tools¶

These tools let CoCo read, write, search, and navigate files in your local filesystem. CoCo uses them whenever your request involves understanding or modifying code, configuration, or documentation files.

Read¶

Read file contents from the local filesystem. CoCo uses this tool whenever it needs to understand existing code before making changes, inspect configuration files, or view the contents of documents you reference.

Supports:

• Text files with line numbers
• Images (PNG, JPG, etc.) displayed visually through the multimodal model
• PDFs with page-by-page text and visual extraction
• Jupyter notebooks with cells and their outputs
• Line ranges using the @file.py$10-20 syntax for targeted reads

Write¶

Create new files or overwrite existing ones. CoCo uses this tool when generating new files from scratch, such as scaffolding a new module, creating configuration files, or writing scripts.

Supports:

• Automatic parent directory creation
• Line change tracking for session statistics
• Full file overwrite (for partial changes, CoCo uses Edit instead)

Edit¶

Perform targeted search-and-replace edits within existing files. CoCo prefers this tool over Write when modifying existing code, because it changes only the specific lines that need updating while preserving the rest of the file.

Supports:

• Exact string matching and replacement
• Diff preview before applying changes
• replace_all mode for renaming variables or updating repeated patterns across a file

Glob¶

Find files by name or path pattern. CoCo uses this tool to locate files before reading or editing them, especially when you reference a file by partial name or when CoCo needs to discover related files in a project.

Example patterns:

Grep¶

Search file contents using regular expressions. CoCo uses this tool to find specific code patterns, function definitions, error messages, or configuration values across your project.

Supports:

• Recursive directory search
• Full regex pattern syntax
• Binary file detection and skipping
• Output modes: matching content lines, file paths only, or match counts

Shell tools¶

These tools give CoCo access to your terminal environment for running commands, installing packages, running tests, and interacting with developer tools like git, npm, or docker.

Bash¶

Execute shell commands in a persistent session. CoCo uses this tool for operations that require system access: running tests, installing dependencies, executing builds, interacting with version control, or any task that goes beyond file manipulation.

Supports:

• Streaming output for long-running commands
• Background execution with run_in_background for servers and watchers
• Configurable timeout (default 2 minutes, maximum 10 minutes)
• Sandbox mode for restricted environments

BashOutput¶

Retrieve output from a command that was previously launched in the background. CoCo uses this tool to check on the status of long-running processes like development servers or test suites.

Supports:

• Regex filtering to show only relevant output lines
• Process status checking (running, completed, or failed)
• Incremental output retrieval (only new lines since last check)

KillShell¶

Terminate a running background shell process. CoCo uses this tool to stop servers, cancel stuck commands, or clean up processes that are no longer needed.

Agent tools¶

These tools let CoCo delegate work to specialized subagents, ask you questions during execution, and coordinate complex multi-step workflows.

RunSubagent¶

Launch an autonomous subagent to handle a specific subtask. CoCo uses this tool when a task benefits from parallel execution or when a specialized agent type is better suited to the work. Each subagent runs independently and returns its results when finished.

Available subagent types:

• general-purpose: Full tool access, used for research and multi-step tasks
• Explore: Optimized for fast codebase navigation and search
• Plan: Focused on architecture decisions and implementation planning
• Custom agents: Defined in your project’s .cortex/agents/ directory

See for details.

AskUserQuestion¶

Prompt you for input when CoCo needs clarification or a decision. CoCo uses this tool instead of guessing when your intent is ambiguous, when multiple valid approaches exist, or when a decision requires your judgment.

Supports:

• Multiple choice questions with descriptions
• Free-form text input with suggested defaults
• Multi-select options for non-exclusive choices

Review¶

Launch a specialized review subagent to check work for quality issues. CoCo may use this tool after completing implementation work to verify correctness.

Web tools¶

These tools let CoCo search the internet and fetch web page content, providing access to current documentation, API references, and other online resources.

WebSearch¶

Search the web for current information. CoCo uses this tool when your question involves recent events, external documentation, or information beyond its training data.

Supports:

• Multiple search engine fallbacks for reliability
• Snippet extraction from search results
• Result caching to avoid redundant searches
• 30-second timeout per search

WebFetch¶

Retrieve and extract text content from a specific URL. CoCo uses this tool when you share a link, when it needs to read documentation at a known URL, or when search results point to a relevant page.

Supports:

• Automatic HTML-to-text conversion
• Content extraction and cleaning
• Maximum 10,000 characters per fetch
• 30-second timeout

Snowflake tools¶

These tools connect CoCo directly to your Snowflake account, letting it execute SQL, search for database objects, query documentation, and work with Cortex AI features.

SnowflakeSqlExecute¶

Execute SQL queries and DDL statements against your Snowflake account. CoCo uses this tool for data exploration, schema changes, query debugging, and any task that requires interacting with your Snowflake data.

Supports:

• Permission-level checks before execution
• Result caching to avoid re-running identical queries
• Automatic token refresh for long sessions
• Large result offloading for queries that return many rows

SnowflakeObjectSearch¶

Perform semantic search across your Snowflake database objects. CoCo uses this tool to discover tables, views, and functions that match your intent, even when you don’t know the exact object name.

SnowflakeProductDocs¶

Search the official Snowflake documentation. CoCo uses this tool to find accurate syntax references, feature explanations, and best practices when answering questions about Snowflake capabilities.

Supported categories:

• User guide
• SQL reference
• Developer guide
• CoCo topics

ReflectSemanticModel¶

Validate a Cortex Analyst semantic model YAML file. CoCo uses this tool to check your semantic model for errors before deploying it, catching issues at each validation stage.

Validation stages:

• File existence check
• YAML syntax validation
• Schema structure validation
• Server-side semantic validation

SnowflakeMultiCortexAnalyst¶

Execute natural-language queries through Cortex Analyst. CoCo uses this tool when you ask data questions that should be answered through a semantic model rather than by writing SQL directly.

Supports:

• Natural language to SQL translation
• Semantic model context awareness
• Verified Query Retrieval for trusted answers

Data tools¶

These tools support data comparison and notebook workflows, helping CoCo work with structured data and interactive computing environments.

DataDiff¶

Compare data between databases or tables to identify differences. CoCo uses this tool when you need to verify that a migration, transformation, or replication produced consistent results.

Supports:

• Snowflake connection handling for cross-database comparison
• Account identifier derivation
• 300-second timeout for large comparisons

NotebookExecute¶

Execute Jupyter notebook cells programmatically. CoCo uses this tool to run notebook code, verify outputs, or execute data analysis workflows.

Supports:

• Configurable timeout per cell
• Kernel management (start, restart, interrupt)
• Parameter injection for parameterized notebooks
• Custom Python environment support

NotebookEdit¶

Edit Jupyter notebook cells without executing them. CoCo uses this tool to modify notebook content when you ask it to update code, add documentation cells, or restructure a notebook.

Supported modes:

• replace: Replace the content of an existing cell
• insert: Add a new cell at a specific position
• delete: Remove a cell from the notebook

Plan mode tools¶

These tools manage CoCo’s planning workflow, which is used for complex tasks that benefit from structured thinking before implementation.

EnterPlanMode¶

Switch CoCo into plan mode for complex, multi-step tasks. In plan mode, CoCo focuses on designing an approach rather than making immediate changes. CoCo enters plan mode automatically for tasks with significant architectural decisions or multiple valid approaches.

ExitPlanMode¶

Present a completed plan for your approval and return to implementation mode. After you review and approve the plan, CoCo proceeds with execution.

Memory tools¶

Memory¶

Store and retrieve persistent information across CoCo sessions. CoCo uses this tool to remember your preferences, project context, and decisions so that future sessions can build on past work without starting from scratch.

Supported commands:

• view: Read stored memory files
• create: Store new information
• str_replace: Update existing memory content
• insert: Add content at a specific location
• delete: Remove a memory file
• rename: Rename or move a memory file

Permission levels¶

Tools have different permission requirements based on their potential impact. CoCo’s three-tier approval system (Auto, Confirm, Deny) determines how each tool is handled:

See Security for details.