Tools

Tools are the actions the Riff agent can take on your behalf while helping you build — reading files, writing code, querying your database, and more.

Tools are the actions the Riff agent uses to get things done. When you ask the Riff agent to build a feature, fix a bug, or connect an integration, it uses tools behind the scenes to carry out each step.

How tools work

You do not call tools directly. The Riff agent decides which tools to use and in what order, based on your message. While it works, the chat panel shows each tool call inline — the tool name, what it is doing, and how long it takes.

What the Riff agent can do

The Riff agent has tools to:

• Read and write code — create, edit, and delete files in your project

• Install packages — add frontend (NPM) and backend (Python) libraries

• Query and write to the database — read table data, create records, run migrations

• Search your knowledge — look up information in your Context library

• Call your integrations — interact with connected services (ERPs, Slack, email, etc.)

• Create and update tasks — manage the task board as it works

• Suggest knowledge — propose new entries for your Context library based on what it learns

Riff-managed vs. custom tools

In the Agent builder, your agent's Profile tab shows the tools available to the agent you are building. These may include:

• Riff-managed tools — built-in tools the platform provides (shown with a "Riff managed" badge)

• Custom tools — tools you have added specifically for this agent

These are tools for your built agent — not the same as the tools the Riff agent uses while helping you build. The Profile tab is where you review and manage your agent's tool set.