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A chat agent works like a teammate who has the lane checked out. ADE gives every agent a set of tools scoped to its role, so a regular lane chat can do real work — read and edit files, run commands, create lanes and PRs, pull in Linear context, and capture proof — without reaching the elevated control-plane tools reserved for the CTO.

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Universal tools

Every agent gets these, in every session.

Read files

Range-aware file reads, plus grep and glob search across the worktree. Always allowed, even in read-only plan mode.

Edit and write files

Apply a single-file edit or create and replace a file. Each write produces a file-change event and a diff. Blocked in plan mode.

Run commands

Run shell commands for tests, builds, package managers, and scripts. Emits command events with output and exit code. Blocked in plan mode and gated by your approval in edit mode.

Search the web

Fetch a URL or run a web search when the task needs outside information. Always allowed.

Track a task list

Maintain a session todo list so multi-step work stays visible in the transcript.

Ask for input

Pause cleanly and ask you for a choice or clarification instead of guessing. The composer locks until you answer.

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Workflow tools

Chat agents also get the tools that turn a conversation into shipped work.

Create a lane

Branch a fresh git worktree for a new piece of work, optionally stacked on the current lane.

Open a PR

Create a pull request from the lane’s changes, with a generated title and body.

Resolve PR issues

When a chat is launched to fix a PR, it can refresh checks, re-run failed CI, reply to review threads, and resolve them.

Capture proof

Screenshot the environment and file the result to the proof drawer (macOS), or attach an existing image with ade proof attach.

Report completion

Persist a structured closeout — status, summary, artifacts, and any blocker — as a card in the transcript.

Attach Linear

When Linear is connected, a chat can read a linked issue’s context; attaching an issue links it back to the lane and the next PR body.
The exact set depends on the session: writes and commands are gated by the permission mode, screenshot capture needs a supported platform, and Linear tools appear only when the integration is connected. The CTO additionally gets operator tools (spawning chats, managing workers, dispatching Linear) that regular chats never see.

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See what an agent can reach

Open the tools panel from the composer to see what a session has available and which actions need your approval before they run.
Open the tools an agent chat can use

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The right agent for the tool

Capabilities are shared across providers, but the model still matters. Pick the provider and model that suits the task when you start the session — a fast model for a small fix, a stronger one for a gnarly refactor — and switch within the same family mid-session.
Provider and model picker for an agent chat

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Good chat requests

Specific, verifiable asks get better results than open-ended cleanup. 
Find why the billing test fails and fix the smallest underlying bug.

Update the PR description from the current diff and include test evidence.

Read the auth module and explain where the redirect state is stored.

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Review before trusting

Agent chat is powerful because it changes real files. Treat the result like any contribution: inspect the diff in Files, run the relevant checks, and read the closeout summary before you commit or merge.

Context and artifacts

What’s in context, and how to keep a session focused.

Files & diffs

Read, stage, and resolve the changes an agent makes.