# Builtin and MCP tools

> Reference for clai builtin tools and Model Context Protocol (MCP) server integration.

Canonical URL: https://www.clai.chat/docs/reference/tools/ · Version: 1.0 · Updated: 2026-10-21

Full site index: https://www.clai.chat/llms.txt

When invoked with `-t` (or a profile that enables tools), `clai` exposes builtin tools and any configured MCP server tools to the model.

## Builtin tools

| Tool                                     | Description                                                                 |
| ---------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `bash`                                   | Execute a shell command and return `stdout` / `stderr`.                     |
| `rg`                                     | Search file contents using ripgrep patterns.                                |
| `file_tree`                              | Render a directory tree of the workspace.                                   |
| `find`                                   | Locate files by name or pattern.                                            |
| `write_file`                             | Create or update a file on disk.                                            |
| `web_search`                             | Perform a web search query.                                                 |
| `website_text`                           | Fetch and extract readable text from a URL.                                 |
| `recall`                                 | Retrieve slices of truncated tool outputs stored earlier in the session.    |
| `clai_Check` / `clai_Wait` / `clai_Kill` | Inspect, wait on, or terminate backgrounded sub-processes started by tools. |

## MCP server tools

Each JSON file in `~/.config/.clai/mcpServers/<server>.json` defines an MCP server launched over `stdio`. Tools discovered from `<server>` are exposed as `mcp_<server>_<tool>` and can be matched with globs such as `-t="mcp_github_*"`.

See [MCP servers and builtin tools](/docs/guides/mcp-and-tools/) for examples.