tools.md

Tools and Extensions Guide

Overview

GitHub Copilot CLI tools extend the basic chat functionality with enhanced capabilities like web browsing, code execution, and file operations.

Enabling Tools

Global Tools Configuration

# Enable all tools
gh copilot config set tools.enabled true

# Check current tools status
gh copilot config get tools

Individual Tool Control

# Enable specific tools
gh copilot config set tools.web_browsing true
gh copilot config set tools.code_execution true
gh copilot config set tools.file_operations true

# Disable specific tools
gh copilot config set tools.web_browsing false

Available Tools

1. Web Browsing Tool

Purpose: Access current web content and documentation

Enable:

gh copilot config set tools.web_browsing true

Usage Examples:

# Get current information
gh copilot ask "What are the latest React 18 features?" --web

# Research documentation
gh copilot ask "Show me the latest Python asyncio best practices" --web

# Compare technologies
gh copilot ask "Compare FastAPI vs Flask for 2024" --web

Best Practices:

• Use for current information that might have changed
• Great for documentation research
• Useful for technology comparisons
• Be specific about what you're looking for

2. Code Execution Tool

Purpose: Run and test code snippets safely

Enable:

gh copilot config set tools.code_execution true

Usage Examples:

# Test a Python snippet
gh copilot ask "Create and test a function to reverse a string" --execute

# Debug code
gh copilot ask "Why isn't this sorting correctly?" --code "my_list.sort(reverse=True)" --execute

# Validate algorithms
gh copilot ask "Test this binary search implementation" --execute --include search.py

Supported Languages:

• Python
• JavaScript/Node.js
• Shell/Bash
• SQL (with SQLite)

Safety Features:

• Sandboxed execution environment
• Time limits on execution
• No network access (by default)
• File system restrictions

3. File Operations Tool

Purpose: Read, analyze, and modify files in your workspace

Enable:

gh copilot config set tools.file_operations true

Usage Examples:

# Analyze code structure
gh copilot ask "Review the architecture of my project" --include-dir src/

# Modify files
gh copilot ask "Add error handling to this function" --modify src/api.py

# Generate new files
gh copilot ask "Create a unit test for this module" --create-file tests/test_api.py

Permissions:

# Set file operation permissions
gh copilot config set tools.file_ops.read true
gh copilot config set tools.file_ops.write true
gh copilot config set tools.file_ops.create true
gh copilot config set tools.file_ops.delete false  # Recommended: keep false

Advanced Tool Configuration

Tool-Specific Settings

Web Browsing Configuration:

# Set search preferences
gh copilot config set tools.web.search_engine "google"
gh copilot config set tools.web.max_results 5

# Enable specific sources
gh copilot config set tools.web.allow_github true
gh copilot config set tools.web.allow_stackoverflow true

Code Execution Limits:

# Set execution timeout (seconds)
gh copilot config set tools.execution.timeout 30

# Set memory limit (MB)
gh copilot config set tools.execution.memory_limit 256

# Enable/disable specific languages
gh copilot config set tools.execution.python true
gh copilot config set tools.execution.javascript true
gh copilot config set tools.execution.bash false

File Operations Scope:

# Limit to specific directories
gh copilot config set tools.files.allowed_dirs "src/,tests/,docs/"

# Set file size limits (KB)
gh copilot config set tools.files.max_file_size 100

# File type restrictions
gh copilot config set tools.files.allowed_extensions ".py,.js,.md,.json"

Using Tools Effectively

Combining Tools

# Research + Execute
gh copilot ask "Find the latest pandas method for handling missing data and show me an example" --web --execute

# File + Execute
gh copilot ask "Fix the bug in this file and test the solution" --include bug.py --execute

# Web + File + Execute
gh copilot ask "Research async patterns, apply to my code, and test" --web --include api.py --execute

Tool Flags and Options

Flag	Purpose	Example
--web	Enable web browsing	gh copilot ask "Latest Docker best practices" --web
--execute	Run code	gh copilot ask "Test this function" --execute
--include <file>	Include file	gh copilot ask "Review this" --include main.py
--modify <file>	Modify file	gh copilot ask "Add logging" --modify app.py
--create-file <file>	Create new file	gh copilot ask "Make config" --create-file config.yaml

Security and Safety

Sandboxing

• Code execution runs in isolated containers
• No access to sensitive system files
• Network restrictions apply
• Automatic cleanup after execution

Permission Model

# View current permissions
gh copilot config get tools --verbose

# Reset to safe defaults
gh copilot config reset tools --safe-mode

# Audit tool usage
gh copilot audit tools --last-week

Best Practices

1. Review before execution: Always understand what code will run
2. Limit file access: Only enable write access when needed
3. Monitor usage: Check tool usage regularly
4. Use version control: Commit before major modifications
5. Test in development: Don't run experimental code in production

Troubleshooting Tools

Common Issues

Tool Not Available:

gh copilot tools status
gh copilot extension update

Execution Failures:

gh copilot logs --tool execution --tail 50
gh copilot config validate tools.execution

Permission Errors:

gh copilot config reset tools
gh copilot auth check --tools

Debug Mode

# Enable verbose tool logging
gh copilot config set debug.tools true

# Run with debug output
gh copilot ask "Debug this" --execute --debug

Tool Development

Creating Custom Tools

# Initialize tool template
gh copilot tool init my-custom-tool

# Install custom tool
gh copilot tool install ./my-custom-tool

# List installed tools
gh copilot tool list --custom

Tool API

Custom tools can integrate with:

• File system operations
• External APIs
• Database connections
• Custom execution environments

See Tool Development Guide for details.