AI Tool Surface Migration

VT Code now exposes a small Codex-style default tool surface to models: exec_command, write_stdin, and apply_patch.

What Changed

The legacy external schemas unified_exec, unified_file, and unified_search have been removed from the model-facing surface. No unified_* schema or alias remains available after migration. The advanced profile adds the query-led code_search tool.

Replacement Map

Removed legacy schema	Use now
unified_exec	exec_command to start commands, write_stdin for live sessions.
unified_file patch or edit	apply_patch.
unified_file read or write	Shell commands through exec_command.cmd by default. Separately named non-default file tools may be added later only with a concrete justification.
unified_search text search	rg or grep through exec_command.cmd.
unified_search search	code_search in the advanced VT Code profile.
unified_search web, skills, errors, discovery	Separate tools only where retained.

Short Examples

Text search:

{"cmd":"rg -n \"ToolProfile\" vtcode-core","workdir":"/repo"}

Interactive continuation:

{"session_id":"7","chars":"\u0003"}

Patch edit:

*** Begin Patch
*** Update File: docs/example.md
@@
-old
+new
*** End Patch

Code search with the advanced profile:

{"query":"ToolRegistration","path":"crates/codegen/vtcode-core/src/tools","file_types":["rust"],"result_types":["definition","usage"]}

Advanced Profile

Enable the advanced VT Code profile when a task needs bounded code search. The advanced profile keeps the default tools and adds code_search, with required query and optional path, file_types, result_types, and max_results. It returns recognised definitions, exact syntactic usages, literal text, and matching paths. Usage results are same-spelling syntax occurrences, not resolved references. Literal smart-case applies. A truncated result is refined by narrowing filters in another call and never claims an exact repository-wide total. Use exec_command or the specialised ast-grep skill for arbitrary structural patterns.

File Tool Finding

Codex core does not expose default model-visible read_file or write_file tools. VT Code follows that finding: inspect files with shell commands, internal filesystem affordances, or MCP tools when present, and edit files with apply_patch.

Platform Handling

agent.shell_prompt_profile controls command examples:

• auto: Linux, macOS, and WSL use Unix-like examples; native Windows uses PowerShell examples.
• unix_like: force Unix-like examples.
• powershell: force PowerShell examples.

VT Code does not rewrite GNU flags for macOS BSD tools. Use WSL when Windows workflows need Unix-like command syntax.