Tools

Tools allow the LLM to perform actions in your codebase. SlopCode comes with a set of built-in tools, but you can extend it with custom tools or MCP servers.

By default, all tools are enabled and don’t need permission to run. You can control tool behavior through permissions.

Configure

Use the permission field to control tool behavior. You can allow, deny, or require approval for each tool.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "deny",
    "bash": "ask",
    "webfetch": "allow"
  }
}

You can also use wildcards to control multiple tools at once. For example, to require approval for all tools from an MCP server:

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "mymcp_*": "ask"
  }
}

Learn more about configuring permissions.

Built-in

Here are all the built-in tools available in SlopCode.

bash

Execute shell commands in your project environment.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "bash": "allow"
  }
}

This tool allows the LLM to run terminal commands like npm install, git status, or any other shell command.

edit

Modify existing files using exact string replacements.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

This tool performs precise edits to files by replacing exact text matches. It’s the primary way the LLM modifies code.

write

Create new files or overwrite existing ones.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

Use this to allow the LLM to create new files. It will overwrite existing files if they already exist.

read

Read file contents from your codebase.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "read": "allow"
  }
}

This tool reads files and returns their contents. It supports reading specific line ranges for large files.

grep

Search file contents using regular expressions.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "grep": "allow"
  }
}

Fast content search across your codebase. Supports full regex syntax and file pattern filtering.

glob

Find files by pattern matching.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "glob": "allow"
  }
}

Search for files using glob patterns like **/*.js or src/**/*.ts. Returns matching file paths sorted by modification time.

list

List files and directories in a given path.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "list": "allow"
  }
}

This tool lists directory contents. It accepts glob patterns to filter results.

lsp (experimental)

Interact with your configured LSP servers to get code intelligence features like definitions, references, hover info, and call hierarchy.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "lsp": "allow"
  }
}

Supported operations include goToDefinition, findReferences, hover, documentSymbol, workspaceSymbol, goToImplementation, prepareCallHierarchy, incomingCalls, and outgoingCalls.

To configure which LSP servers are available for your project, see LSP Servers.

patch

Apply patches to files.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

This tool applies patch files to your codebase. Useful for applying diffs and patches from various sources.

skill

Load a skill (a SKILL.md file) and return its content in the conversation.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "skill": "allow"
  }
}

todowrite

Manage todo lists during coding sessions.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "todowrite": "allow"
  }
}

Creates and updates task lists to track progress during complex operations. The LLM uses this to organize multi-step tasks.

todoread

Read existing todo lists.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "todoread": "allow"
  }
}

Reads the current todo list state. Used by the LLM to track what tasks are pending or completed.

webfetch

Fetch web content.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "webfetch": "allow"
  }
}

Allows the LLM to fetch and read web pages. Useful for looking up documentation or researching online resources.

websearch

Search the web for information.

This tool is only available when using the SlopCode provider or when the SLOPCODE_ENABLE_EXA environment variable is set to any truthy value (e.g., true or 1).

To enable when launching SlopCode:

SLOPCODE_ENABLE_EXA=1 slopcode

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "websearch": "allow"
  }
}

Performs web searches using Exa AI to find relevant information online. Useful for researching topics, finding current events, or gathering information beyond the training data cutoff.

No API key is required — the tool connects directly to Exa AI’s hosted MCP service without authentication.

question

Ask the user questions during execution.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "question": "allow"
  }
}

This tool allows the LLM to ask the user questions during a task. It’s useful for:

Gathering user preferences or requirements
Clarifying ambiguous instructions
Getting decisions on implementation choices
Offering choices about what direction to take

Each question includes a header, the question text, and a list of options. Users can select from the provided options or type a custom answer. When there are multiple questions, users can navigate between them before submitting all answers.

task

Launch a subagent for a focused unit of work.

{
  "$schema": "https://slopcode.dev/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "task": "allow"
  }
}

Subagents run in child sessions. When SLOPCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_BACKGROUND_SUBAGENTS=true, the tool can also accept background: true and return immediately.

!node_modules/
!dist/
!build/

For example, this .ignore file allows ripgrep to search within node_modules/, dist/, and build/ directories even if they’re listed in .gitignore.