Built-in Tools

Definition

The tools Claude Code / the Agent SDK ship with — the exam focuses on picking the right one, especially Grep vs Glob vs Read, instead of a wasteful large Read.

Key points

• Grep — searches file CONTENTS (by pattern).
• Glob — finds files by NAME pattern.
• Read — loads a full file into context.
• Bash — runs shell commands; Write/Edit — modify files.
• Full built-in set (exact names): Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Monitor, Glob, Grep, WebSearch, WebFetch, AskUserQuestion.
• Choosing Grep/Glob over a broad Read conserves context — a context-management best practice.

Why it matters for the exam

• Domain 2 explicitly tests picking the right built-in tool vs a large Read (which bloats context / causes context rot).
• Developer Productivity scenarios hinge on this selection.

Common gotchas

• Using Read to "search" a big file is the wrong answer — use Grep for contents, Glob for filenames.
• Grep searches contents, Glob searches names — do not swap them.

See also

• Task and Agent tool
• Effective Tool Descriptions
• Config Hierarchy

Sources

• docs-tools-agents
• netlight-study-guide