A local notes file for environment-specific tool details — camera names, SSH hosts, TTS voices, device nicknames.
TOOLS.md is your agent's cheat sheet for your setup. Skills define how tools work in general; this file captures the specifics that are unique to your environment.
GoClaw loads this file in the Project Context section of the system prompt. It's also loaded in minimal mode (subagents, cron sessions) — so notes here are available to automated tasks too.
Scope:
- Open agents: per-user (environment-specific, private to each user)
- Predefined agents: agent-level (shared notes about tools common to all users of that agent)
The file is intentionally freeform — add whatever helps your agent do its job.
# TOOLS.md - Local Notes
Skills define _how_ tools work. This file is for _your_ specifics —
the stuff that's unique to your setup.
## What Goes Here
Things like:
- Camera names and locations
- SSH hosts and aliases
- Preferred voices for TTS
- Speaker/room names
- Device nicknames
- Anything environment-specific
## Examples
### Cameras
- living-room → Main area, 180° wide angle
- front-door → Entrance, motion-triggered
### SSH
- home-server → 192.168.1.100, user: admin
### TTS
- Preferred voice voice: "Nova" (warm, slightly British)
- Default speaker: Kitchen HomePod
## Media Files
When users send images, videos, audio, or documents, use the `read_*` tools to analyze them.
The `path` attribute in media tags points to the file — pass it directly to the tool.
## Why Separate?
Skills are shared. Your setup is yours. Keeping them apart means you can
update skills without losing your notes, and share skills without leaking
your infrastructure.
---
Add whatever helps you do your job. This is your cheat sheet.A TOOLS.md for a home automation agent:
# TOOLS.md - Local Notes
## Cameras
- living-room → 192.168.1.50, wide angle, covers couch + TV area
- front-door → 192.168.1.51, motion-triggered, 1080p
- garage → 192.168.1.52, offline Mon nights (maintenance window)
## SSH Hosts
- home-server → 192.168.1.100, user: admin, key: ~/.ssh/home.pem
- nas → 192.168.1.200, user: pi, Samba share at /mnt/data
- vps → 45.67.89.100, user: ubuntu (public-facing services)
## TTS
- Preferred voice: "Nova"
- Living room speaker: "HomePod Living Room"
- Bedroom speaker: "HomePod Mini Bedroom"
## Device Nicknames
- "my laptop" → MacBook Pro M3, hostname: thieunv-mbp
- "my phone" → iPhone 15 Pro
- "the TV" → Samsung Frame 65", controllable via exec + cec-client
## Smart Home
- Lights: use `exec hass-cli` with entity IDs from Home Assistant
- Thermostat entity: climate.ecobee_main
- Presence sensor: binary_sensor.thieunv_home- Keep it current — stale entries confuse the agent. Remove devices you no longer have.
- Be specific — "192.168.1.100, user: admin" is more useful than "home server"
- Don't put secrets here — SSH keys, passwords, API tokens belong in environment variables or a secrets manager, not in a plain markdown file
- Subagents see this too — notes here are available in cron jobs and spawned subagents, which is useful for automation tasks
- Context Files — all 7 context files and their loading order
- System Prompt Anatomy — where TOOLS.md fits in the prompt (minimal mode included)
- AGENTS.md Template — operating instructions that reference tools