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[FEATURE]: Let built-in tools like shell and read be called from Code Mode execute #55087
Description
Feature hasn't been suggested before.
- I have verified this feature I'm about to request hasn't been suggested before.
Describe the enhancement you want to request
Built-in tools (shell, read, grep, glob, edit, write, ...) are registered with codemode: false, so tools.shell(...) inside execute fails with Unknown tool 'shell'. #39312 was closed as expected behavior, but the docs do not say why.
This blocks the main use of execute: combining calls in one step. For example, run a CLI that saves a screenshot, then read the image, in one call:
await tools.shell({ command: 'ghosthand screenshot /tmp/s.png' })
return await tools.readMediaIntoContext({ path: '/tmp/s.png' })Today this is two tool calls, because shell is not in the catalog.
Proposal
- Let built-in tools opt in to the Code Mode catalog, with a config flag or a per-tool setting.
- Nested calls keep their normal permission checks, as other Code Mode tools already do.
- If there is a reason for the current default, document it on the Tools page.
Related: #54826 (direct MCP servers in Code Mode), #55072 (images from execute).
Reacted by Yaroslav Shumlyanskyi, Houssam Elbadissi, Tommy D. Rossi, BrettB, Dylan Barnett and Lê Hoàng Phương
Activity
opencode-agent commentedon Oct 13, 2026
Thanks for the detailed request! In short, you're asking for built-in tools like
shell,readandgrepto be callable astools.<name>(...)inside Code Modeexecute, opt-in through config or per tool, with nested calls still going through the normal permission checks. That way steps like "run a CLI, then read its output file" fit in one call. You'd also like the reason for the current default documented.Right now each tool goes either in the top-level tool list or in the Code Mode catalog, never both, and every built-in is set to top-level (
codemode: false). That's whytools.shellgivesUnknown tool. Changing it needs a change in core, so maintainers will consider it.Related issues:
executeexecuteskaldebane commentedon Oct 15, 2026
YES, I see models trip up on this sometimes, when trying to chain built-in tools alongside MCP tools. The built-in tools should act as though they are
codemode: truetools.