Tools

Makima ships with 26 built-in tools in this reference (24 on by default, 2 opt-in via plugin options). Tools marked opt-in are off until you enable them under plugins in Configuration.

File Operations

bash

Execute a bash command. Commands run in by default.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
command	string	yes		The bash command to execute
description	string	no		Short description (3-5 words) of what the command does
timeout	integer	no	120	Timeout in seconds
workdir	string	no	cwd	Working directory

list

List directory contents. Returns entry names sorted alphabetically, directories first with a trailing /.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the directory

read

Read a file. Returns contents with line numbers (1-indexed).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
limit	integer	yes	Max number of lines to read. Use 0 to read until end of file (capped at 2000 lines).
offset	integer	yes	Line number to start from (1-indexed). Use 1 for the first line.
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file

write

Write content to a file, replacing existing content.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
content	string	yes	The complete file content to write
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file

edit

Replace an exact string match in a file.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
new_string	string	yes		Replacement string
old_string	string	yes		Exact string to find (must match uniquely unless replace_all is true)
path	string	yes		Absolute path to the file
replace_all	boolean	no	false	Replace all occurrences

multiedit

Make multiple find-and-replace edits to a single file atomically. Prefer this over edit when making multiple changes to the same file.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
edits	array	yes	Array of edit operations to apply sequentially
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file

edit_lines opt-in

Edit lines by number. Replaces lines from start to end (inclusive) with new_string. Use empty new_string to delete a range. Do not use with the batch tool.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
end	integer	yes	Last line, inclusive
new_string	string	yes	Replacement text
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file
start	integer	yes	First line (1-indexed)

insert_lines opt-in

Insert new_string after line line, or at the top with 0. Only include new lines, never lines already in the file. Do not use with the batch tool.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
line	integer	yes	Line number to insert after (1-indexed). Use 0 to insert at the top.
new_string	string	yes	Text to insert
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file

glob

Find files by glob pattern.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
path	string	no	cwd	Directory to search in
pattern	string	yes		Glob pattern (e.g. /*.rs, src//*.ts)

grep

Search file contents using regex.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
context_after	integer	no		Context lines after match
context_before	integer	no		Context lines before match
include	string	no		File glob filter (e.g. *.c)
limit	integer	no		Max match groups to return
path	string	no	cwd	Directory to search in
pattern	string	yes		Regex pattern

index

Return a compact overview of a source file: imports, type definitions, function signatures, and structure with their line numbers surrounded by []. ~70-90% more efficient than reading the full file.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	Absolute path to the file

view_image

View an image file (png, jpeg, gif, webp) so you can actually see it; it is returned as vision input alongside the tool result. Use instead of read for images.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	yes	Path to the image file

Execution & Control

batch

Executes multiple independent tool calls concurrently to reduce round-trips.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
tool_calls	array	yes	Array of tool calls to execute in parallel

code_execution

Execute Python code in a sandboxed interpreter with tools as callable functions.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
code	string	yes		Python code to execute. Tools are async functions that return strings (not objects). You MUST await every call: result = await read(path='/file', offset=1, limit=0). Use await gather(...) for concurrency.
timeout	integer	no	30	Script execution timeout in seconds

plan_submit

Submit the finished plan for user review in the interactive UI.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description

question

Use this tool when you need to ask the user questions during execution. This allows you to:

• Gather user preferences or requirements
• Clarify ambiguous instructions
• Get decisions on implementation choices as you work
• Offer choices to the user about what direction to take

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
questions	array	yes	List of questions to ask the user

Agent & Knowledge

task

Launch an autonomous subagent to perform tasks independently. Best combined with batch.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
description	string	yes	Short (3-5 words) description of the task
model_tier	string	no	Model tier (optional, omit to use current model, capped at current tier): - "strong" (e.g. Opus): Deep reasoning, complex architecture, subtle bugs, most critical sections. ~5x cost of medium. - "medium" (e.g. Sonnet): Balanced. Refactors, features, multi-file changes. - "weak" (e.g. Haiku): Fast/cheap. Search, summarize, boilerplate, simple edits.
output_schema	string	no	JSON Schema (object) the subagent's final result must match. When set, the result is returned as a validated JSON string.
prompt	string	yes	Detailed task prompt for the agent
subagent_type	string	no	Subagent type: "research" (read-only, default), "general" (can modify files), or "plan_reviewer" (read-only plan audit, plan mode only)

task_spawn

Start a background subagent and return its task_id immediately. Each task's messages run FIFO, acquiring concurrency capacity only when each turn starts. The result is returned automatically when the subagent finishes, so wait for the reply instead of polling task_get. Queue messages with task_send and finish with task_despawn. Also callable from a code_execution script as a Python async function.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
description	string	yes	Short (3-5 words) description of the task
model_tier	string	no	Model tier (optional, omit to use current model, capped at current tier): - "strong" (e.g. Opus): Deep reasoning, complex architecture, subtle bugs, most critical sections. ~5x cost of medium. - "medium" (e.g. Sonnet): Balanced. Refactors, features, multi-file changes. - "weak" (e.g. Haiku): Fast/cheap. Search, summarize, boilerplate, simple edits.
output_schema	string	no	JSON Schema (object) the subagent's final result must match. When set, the result is returned as a validated JSON string.
prompt	string	yes	Detailed task prompt for the agent
subagent_type	string	no	Subagent type: "research" (read-only, default), "general" (can modify files), or "plan_reviewer" (read-only plan audit, plan mode only)

task_get

Poll a background subagent. Returns { status = "running" | "done" | "closed", result?, error? }. Normally unnecessary: a spawned subagent's result arrives automatically, so wait for that reply instead of polling task_get. Does not block the main agent. Also callable from a code_execution script as a Python async function.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
task_id	string	yes	Task id returned by task_spawn.

task_send

Queue a message to a background subagent in per-task FIFO order and return immediately. A done subagent processes it as a new turn, acquiring concurrency capacity when the turn starts. Returns { queued = true }, or a session error if queueing fails. Also callable from a code_execution script as a Python async function.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
message	string	yes	Message to queue to the subagent. A done subagent restarts on the next turn.
task_id	string	yes	Task id returned by task_spawn.

task_despawn

Cancel a background subagent, discard messages not yet admitted, flush its chat transcript, and release active turn permits. Returns { ok = true }. Also callable from a code_execution script as a Python async function.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
task_id	string	yes	Task id returned by task_spawn.

todo_write

Create or update a structured todo list to track tasks.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
todos	array	yes	The updated todo list

memory

Persistent, project-scoped scratchpad for learnings, patterns, decisions, and gotchas across sessions.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
command	string	yes	- list [tags]: tag-grouped index, no bodies. - read path|tags: one body (path) or collated bodies (tags). - write path tags content: create or overwrite a note. - delete path
content	string	no	Body for write (frontmatter added automatically).
path	string	no	Relative path, e.g. 'architecture.md'.
tags	array	no	snake_case tags. Filter for list/read; assigned on write (defaults to filename stem).

skill

Load a skill that provides instructions and workflows for specific tasks.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	yes	Name of the skill to load

Web

webfetch

Fetch a URL and return its contents.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
format	string	no		Output format: markdown (default), text, or html
timeout	integer	no	30, max 120	Timeout in seconds
url	string	yes		URL to fetch (http:// or https://)

websearch

Search the web for real-time information using Exa AI.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
num_results	integer	no	8	Number of results to return
query	string	yes		Search query