# Tool Reference

> This reference covers all 45 orchestrator tools available when the ⚡ toggle is on.
> Tools are invoked automatically by the orchestrator — you don't call them directly.

¹ **Admin only** — requires the `admin` role. Invisible to regular users.  
² **Confirmation required** — the orchestrator pauses and shows **Confirm / Deny** buttons before executing.

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## Web

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `web_search` | DuckDuckGo search — returns titles, URLs, and snippets for the top results |
| `http_fetch` | Fetch a specific URL and return the response body (8 192 char cap) |

## Files ¹

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `file_read` ¹ | Read any file under the persona home directory |
| `file_list` ¹ | List files and directories with sizes (200 entry cap) |
| `file_write` ¹ ² | Write or append to a file under the persona home directory |

## Shell ¹

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `shell_exec` ¹ ² | Run any shell command on the Cortex host; timeout 1–120 s |
| `claude_allow_dir` ¹ | Add a directory to Claude Code's auto-allowed paths |

## System ¹

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `cortex_restart` ¹ ² | Restart the Cortex service (5 s delay); connection drops — refresh the page |
| `cortex_logs` ¹ | Recent lines from the systemd journal (default 50, max 200) |
| `cortex_status` ¹ | Current git branch, commit, ahead/behind remote, and service state |
| `cortex_update` ¹ ² | `git pull` + syntax check all `.py` files; reports what changed. Does **not** restart automatically — call `cortex_restart` after reviewing |

## Tasks

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `task_list` | List personal tasks; pass `include_done=true` to include completed |
| `task_create` | Create a task with title, optional notes and due date |
| `task_update` | Update any fields on an existing task |
| `task_complete` | Mark a task as complete |

## Cron

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `cron_list` | List all scheduled jobs for this persona |
| `cron_add` | Add a scheduled job — accepts cron syntax or plain-English interval |
| `cron_remove` ² | Remove a scheduled job by ID |
| `cron_toggle` | Enable or disable a job without removing it |

## Reminders

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `reminders_add` | Add a reminder with optional label; surfaced in context at Tier 2+ |
| `reminders_list` | List all pending reminders, numbered for easy removal |
| `reminders_remove` | Remove a single reminder by number (call `reminders_list` first) |
| `reminders_clear` ² | Clear all reminders at once |

## Scratchpad

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `scratch_read` | Read the current scratchpad |
| `scratch_write` | Overwrite the scratchpad with new content |
| `scratch_append` | Append a timestamped section to the scratchpad |
| `scratch_clear` | Erase the scratchpad |

## Notifications ¹

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `web_push` | Send a browser push notification to the active user's registered devices |
| `email_send` ¹ | Send an email via SMTP; recipient must match your `email_allowlist.json` |
| `nc_talk_send` ¹ | Send a message to a Nextcloud Talk conversation |

## Aether Journals

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `ae_journal_list` | List all journals for the configured AE account (returns names + IDs) |
| `ae_journal_search` | Search entries by keyword, tag, date range, type, status, or priority |
| `ae_journal_entries_list` | Browse all entries in a specific journal, newest first; paginated |
| `ae_journal_entry_read` | Read the full content of a single entry by ID |
| `ae_journal_entry_create` | Create a new entry with title, content, tags, and summary |
| `ae_journal_entry_update` | Patch any fields on an existing entry (title, content, tags, summary, enable) |
| `ae_journal_entry_disable` | Soft-delete an entry (`enable=false`) without permanently removing it |
| `ae_journal_entry_append` | Append a timestamped section to the bottom of an entry's content |
| `ae_journal_entry_prepend` | Prepend a timestamped section to the top of an entry's content |

## Aether Tasks ¹

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `ae_task_list` ¹ | List tasks from the agents_sync Kanban board |

## Agent Notes

Private, durable notes visible only to the orchestrator — not surfaced to users. Persist across sessions. Only available in orchestrated (tool-enabled) sessions.

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `agent_notes_read` | Read the current private notes file |
| `agent_notes_write` | Overwrite the notes file completely |
| `agent_notes_append` | Append a timestamped entry (keeps last 3 backups automatically) |
| `agent_notes_clear` | Erase all notes (backs up first) |

## Agents ¹

Spawn sub-agents that run their own tool loop using a specific role's model and tools.

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| `spawn_agent` ¹ | Spawn a sub-agent synchronously — blocks until the task completes or times out. Params: `task`, `role` (default `chat`), `tier` (1–4, default 1), `timeout` seconds, `max_rounds` override. Only works with `local_openai` and `gemini_api` models. |