Built-In Tools
Athena interacts with your machine through a set of built-in tools. These are called automatically during conversations — you don’t invoke them directly.
File Operations
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| file_read | Read file contents |
| file_write | Create or overwrite a file |
| file_edit | Edit a file using search and replace |
| directory_list | List directory contents |
File reads and directory listings are always auto-approved. Writes and edits go through your permission rules — small edits can be auto-approved based on your line threshold.
Search
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| files_grep | Search file contents with regex (uses ripgrep if installed) |
| files_find | Find files by glob pattern (auto-searches recursively and from repo root if needed) |
Both tools respect .gitignore and skip common directories like node_modules, .git, and venv. If files_find doesn’t find a match in the current directory, it automatically retries recursively and from the git repository root — so asking the LLM to find a file by name works even if you’re in a subdirectory.
Git
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| git_status | Show working tree status with file changes and stats |
| git_branch | Get the current branch name |
| git_diff | Show diffs for specific files |
| git_show | Show commit info and history |
| git_revert | Revert changes to files |
| list_tree | List directory tree structure |
Git tools are always auto-approved (read-only). Athena uses these to understand what’s changed, review history, and navigate your repository.
Shell
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| shell_run | Execute a shell command |
| shell_output | Get output from a background command |
| shell_kill | Kill a background command |
| shells_list | List running background commands |
Shell commands are permission-checked against your rules. Commands can run in the foreground (blocking) or background, with configurable timeouts up to 5 minutes. Output is streamed to the chat as it executes.
Web
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| web_fetch | Fetch and extract content from a URL |
| web_search | Search the web for information |
Web tools let Athena look up documentation, API references, and other online resources when working on your tasks.
Knowledge
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| cogz_fetch | Search your org’s knowledge base for relevant context |
| cogz_write | Save knowledge (decisions, rules, patterns, errors) for future sessions |
See Managing Knowledge for details on what Athena stores and how to search it.
Delegation
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| delegate | Hand off a sub-task to a faster model |
Athena can delegate focused tasks (file edits, searches, targeted fixes) to a smaller, faster model. The delegate has access to file, search, shell, and knowledge tools — but its permissions bubble up through the same rules.
Bias
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| bias_set | Shift Athena’s reasoning perspective |
Available perspectives: developer, product, tester, operator, reviewer, project manager. Useful when you want Athena to think about a problem from a specific angle.
MCP Tools
Any tools from connected MCP servers appear alongside the built-in tools. They’re named {server}__{tool} (e.g., github__search_repositories) and work the same way — Athena discovers and calls them automatically.