Use tools in a task
Tools let Ghast search the web, work with files, run commands and use connected services. Describe the result you need and the allowed scope, then inspect the actions it actually takes.
The current Chat and Coding Add (+) menu contains attachments, app-context capture and workspace selection—not a Tools selector. There is no per-tool checklist in that menu.
Prepare the task
- Select a model that supports tool calls. See Enable and select models.
- For file work, select the intended workspace. Use a specific project folder, not a broad personal directory.
- For an external service, open Plugins → Manage connections and check the intended connection.
- Check Command authorization beside Add. Prefer Ask when you need to inspect controlled local actions.
- State the allowed files, accounts and operations, actions that must wait for approval, and expected evidence.
Instructions express your intent; they do not create an operating-system sandbox or revoke account permissions. Full access is not read-only. See Command approval and safety boundaries.
Start with a narrow request
Read a project
Inspect this project's README and test configuration. Explain how to run its tests. Do not modify files or install dependencies.
Check the directory and command before approving a proposed action. A request to inspect does not make every proposed command safe.
Change a project
Fix the failing date-format test in this workspace. Change only the formatter and its tests. Run the relevant test and report the changed files and result. Do not commit or publish.
Inspect the actual changes as well as the test output.
Research the web
Find the current official installation instructions for this library. Search the web and include source links. Do not download or run the installer.
An answer from existing knowledge is not evidence of a successful search; check the retrieved sources.
Query a connected service
In the connected service, list the projects I can access. Do not create, update, send or delete anything.
Check the account and returned objects before requesting a write. Specify the exact recipient and content for a send, or the exact object and intended update for a change.
Inspect the result
Expand the process card and read the available tool name, input, status, output and error. Some actions use specialized cards or grouped results. See Read the output.
A completed call does not necessarily mean the task is complete:
- Open actual files and inspect their contents.
- Read test exit status and which tests ran.
- Check external changes in the destination service.
- After failure or interruption, inspect partial results before retrying. Stopping does not undo prior changes.
The built-in tool reference explains action names you may encounter, not a guarantee that every model or task can use every tool.
If the action does not run
- Check the model's tool-call support and visible errors.
- For MCP, check connection status and diagnostics. A connected session does not prove the requested operation is authorized.
- Check that the plugin providing the capability is enabled.
- Look for a pending approval, denied permission, timeout or service error.
- Clarify the action and expected evidence if Ghast answered without taking it.
Do not grant broader access simply to make an error disappear. See extension troubleshooting.