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codex/codex-rs/tools/README.md
Michael Bolin 716f7b0428 codex-tools: extract discovery tool specs (#16193)
## Why

`core/src/tools/spec.rs` still owned the pure `tool_search` and
`tool_suggest` spec builders even though that logic no longer needed
`codex-core` runtime state. This change continues the `codex-tools`
migration by moving the reusable discovery and suggestion spec
construction out of `codex-core` so `spec.rs` is left with the
core-owned policy decisions about when these tools are exposed and what
metadata is available.

## What changed

- Added `codex-rs/tools/src/tool_discovery.rs` with the shared
`tool_search` and `tool_suggest` spec builders, plus focused unit tests
in `tool_discovery_tests.rs`.
- Moved the shared `DiscoverableToolAction` and `DiscoverableToolType`
declarations into `codex-tools` so the `tool_suggest` handler and the
extracted spec builders use the same wire-model enums.
- Updated `core/src/tools/spec.rs` to translate `ToolInfo` and
`DiscoverableTool` values into neutral `codex-tools` inputs and delegate
the actual spec building there.
- Removed the old template-based description rendering helpers from
`core/src/tools/spec.rs` and deleted the now-dead helper methods in
`core/src/tools/discoverable.rs`.
- Updated `codex-rs/tools/README.md` to document that discovery and
suggestion models/spec builders now live in `codex-tools`.

## Test plan

- `cargo test -p codex-tools`
- `CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codex-core-discovery-specs cargo test -p
codex-core --lib tools::spec::`
- `CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codex-core-discovery-specs cargo test -p
codex-core --lib tools::handlers::tool_suggest::`
- `just argument-comment-lint`

## References

- #16154
- #15923
- #15928
- #15944
- #15953
- #16031
- #16047
- #16129
- #16132
- #16138
- #16141
2026-03-30 08:15:12 -07:00

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Markdown

# codex-tools
`codex-tools` is intended to become the home for tool-related code that is
shared across multiple crates and does not need to stay coupled to
`codex-core`.
Today this crate is intentionally small. It currently owns the shared tool
schema and Responses API tool primitives that no longer need to live in
`core/src/tools/spec.rs` or `core/src/client_common.rs`:
- `JsonSchema`
- `AdditionalProperties`
- `ToolDefinition`
- `ToolSpec`
- `ConfiguredToolSpec`
- `ResponsesApiTool`
- `FreeformTool`
- `FreeformToolFormat`
- `ToolSearchOutputTool`
- `ResponsesApiWebSearchFilters`
- `ResponsesApiWebSearchUserLocation`
- `ResponsesApiNamespace`
- `ResponsesApiNamespaceTool`
- code-mode `ToolSpec` adapters and `exec` / `wait` spec builders
- JS REPL spec builders
- MCP resource, `list_dir`, and `test_sync_tool` spec builders
- local host tool spec builders for shell/exec/request-permissions/view-image
- collaboration and agent-job `ToolSpec` builders for spawn/send/wait/close,
`request_user_input`, and CSV fanout/reporting
- tool discovery and suggestion models / `ToolSpec` builders for
`tool_search` and `tool_suggest`
- `parse_tool_input_schema()`
- `parse_dynamic_tool()`
- `parse_mcp_tool()`
- `create_tools_json_for_responses_api()`
- `mcp_call_tool_result_output_schema()`
- `tool_definition_to_responses_api_tool()`
- `dynamic_tool_to_responses_api_tool()`
- `mcp_tool_to_responses_api_tool()`
- `mcp_tool_to_deferred_responses_api_tool()`
- `augment_tool_spec_for_code_mode()`
- `tool_spec_to_code_mode_tool_definition()`
That extraction is the first step in a longer migration. The goal is not to
move all of `core/src/tools` into this crate in one shot. Instead, the plan is
to peel off reusable pieces in reviewable increments while keeping
compatibility-sensitive orchestration in `codex-core` until the surrounding
boundaries are ready.
## Vision
Over time, this crate should hold tool-facing primitives that are shared by
multiple consumers, for example:
- schema and spec data models
- tool input/output parsing helpers
- tool metadata and compatibility shims that do not depend on `codex-core`
- other narrowly scoped utility code that multiple crates need
The corresponding non-goals are just as important:
- do not move `codex-core` orchestration here prematurely
- do not pull `Session` / `TurnContext` / approval flow / runtime execution
logic into this crate unless those dependencies have first been split into
stable shared interfaces
- do not turn this crate into a grab-bag for unrelated helper code
## Migration approach
The expected migration shape is:
1. Move low-coupling tool primitives here.
2. Switch non-core consumers to depend on `codex-tools` directly.
3. Leave compatibility-sensitive adapters in `codex-core` while downstream
call sites are updated.
4. Only extract higher-level tool infrastructure after the crate boundaries are
clear and independently testable.
That means it is normal for `codex-core` to temporarily re-export types or
helpers from `codex-tools` during the transition.
## Crate conventions
This crate should start with stricter structure than `core/src/tools` so it
stays easy to grow:
- `src/lib.rs` should remain exports-only.
- Business logic should live in named module files such as `foo.rs`.
- Unit tests for `foo.rs` should live in a sibling `foo_tests.rs`.
- The implementation file should wire tests with:
```rust
#[cfg(test)]
#[path = "foo_tests.rs"]
mod tests;
```
If this crate starts accumulating code that needs runtime state from
`codex-core`, that is a sign to revisit the extraction boundary before adding
more here.