feat: System Message tools

core/config/sharedConfig.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export const sharedConfigSchema = z
     useCurrentFileAsContext: z.boolean(),
     optInNextEditFeature: z.boolean(),
     enableExperimentalTools: z.boolean(),
+    onlyUseSystemMessageTools: z.boolean(),
     codebaseToolCallingOnly: z.boolean(),
     enableStaticContextualization: z.boolean(),
 
@@ -185,6 +186,11 @@ export function modifyAnyConfigWithSharedConfig<
     configCopy.experimental.optInNextEditFeature =
       sharedConfig.optInNextEditFeature;
   }
+  if (sharedConfig.onlyUseSystemMessageTools !== undefined) {
+    configCopy.experimental.onlyUseSystemMessageTools =
+      sharedConfig.onlyUseSystemMessageTools;
+  }
+
   if (sharedConfig.codebaseToolCallingOnly !== undefined) {
     configCopy.experimental.codebaseToolCallingOnly =
       sharedConfig.codebaseToolCallingOnly;

core/config/types.ts

@@ -1123,7 +1123,6 @@ declare global {
      * This is needed to crawl a large number of documentation sites that are dynamically rendered.
      */
     useChromiumForDocsCrawling?: boolean;
-    useTools?: boolean;
     modelContextProtocolServers?: MCPOptions[];
   }
 

core/index.d.ts

@@ -1086,6 +1086,7 @@ export interface Tool {
   faviconUrl?: string;
   group: string;
   originalFunctionName?: string;
+  systemMessageDescription?: string;
 }
 
 interface ToolChoice {
@@ -1516,6 +1517,7 @@ export interface ExperimentalConfig {
   defaultContext?: DefaultContextProvider[];
   promptPath?: string;
   enableExperimentalTools?: boolean;
+  onlyUseSystemMessageTools?: boolean;
 
   /**
    * Quick actions are a way to add custom commands to the Code Lens of

core/llm/autodetect.ts

@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
-import {
-  ChatMessage,
-  ModelCapability,
-  ModelDescription,
-  TemplateType,
-} from "../index.js";
+import { ChatMessage, ModelCapability, TemplateType } from "../index.js";
 
 import {
   anthropicTemplateMessages,
@@ -41,7 +36,6 @@ import {
   xWinCoderEditPrompt,
   zephyrEditPrompt,
 } from "./templates/edit.js";
-import { PROVIDER_TOOL_SUPPORT } from "./toolSupport.js";
 
 const PROVIDER_HANDLES_TEMPLATING: string[] = [
   "lmstudio",
@@ -107,17 +101,6 @@ const MODEL_SUPPORTS_IMAGES: string[] = [
   "granite-vision",
 ];
 
-function modelSupportsTools(modelDescription: ModelDescription) {
-  if (modelDescription.capabilities?.tools !== undefined) {
-    return modelDescription.capabilities.tools;
-  }
-  const providerSupport = PROVIDER_TOOL_SUPPORT[modelDescription.provider];
-  if (!providerSupport) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  return providerSupport(modelDescription.model) ?? false;
-}
-
 function modelSupportsImages(
   provider: string,
   model: string,
@@ -400,5 +383,4 @@ export {
   autodetectTemplateType,
   llmCanGenerateInParallel,
   modelSupportsImages,
-  modelSupportsTools,
 };

core/llm/index.ts

@@ -531,18 +531,15 @@ export abstract class BaseLLM implements ILLM {
     let contentToShow = "";
     if (msg.role === "tool") {
       contentToShow = msg.content;
-    } else if (msg.role === "assistant" && msg.toolCalls) {
+    } else if (msg.role === "assistant" && msg.toolCalls?.length) {
       contentToShow = msg.toolCalls
         ?.map(
           (toolCall) =>
             `${toolCall.function?.name}(${toolCall.function?.arguments})`,
         )
         .join("\n");
     } else if ("content" in msg) {
-      if (Array.isArray(msg.content)) {
-        msg.content = renderChatMessage(msg);
-      }
-      contentToShow = msg.content;
+      contentToShow = renderChatMessage(msg);
     }
 
     return `<${msg.role}>\n${contentToShow}\n\n`;

core/llm/toolSupport.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { parseProxyModelName } from "@continuedev/config-yaml";
+import { ModelDescription } from "..";
 
 export const PROVIDER_TOOL_SUPPORT: Record<string, (model: string) => boolean> =
   {
@@ -288,3 +289,31 @@ export const PROVIDER_TOOL_SUPPORT: Record<string, (model: string) => boolean> =
       return false;
     },
   };
+
+export function isRecommendedAgentModel(modelName: string): boolean {
+  // AND behavior
+  const recs: RegExp[][] = [
+    [/o[134]/],
+    [/deepseek/, /r1|reasoner/],
+    [/gemini/, /2\.5/, /pro/],
+    [/gpt/, /4/],
+    [/claude/, /sonnet/, /3\.5|3\.7|3-5|3-7|-4/],
+    [/claude/, /opus/, /-4/],
+  ];
+  for (const combo of recs) {
+    if (combo.every((regex) => modelName.toLowerCase().match(regex))) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+export function modelSupportsNativeTools(modelDescription: ModelDescription) {
+  if (modelDescription.capabilities?.tools !== undefined) {
+    return modelDescription.capabilities.tools;
+  }
+  const providerSupport = PROVIDER_TOOL_SUPPORT[modelDescription.provider];
+  if (!providerSupport) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return providerSupport(modelDescription.model) ?? false;
+}

core/tools/constants.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export const NO_TOOL_CALL_OUTPUT_MESSAGE = "No tool output";
+export const CANCELLED_TOOL_CALL_MESSAGE = "The user cancelled this tool call.";

core/tools/definitions/codebaseTool.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const codebaseTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -26,4 +27,9 @@ export const codebaseTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.CodebaseTool,
+    `To search the codebase, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.CodebaseTool} tool with a natural language query. For example, to find authentication logic, you might respond with:`,
+    [["query", "How is user authentication handled in this codebase?"]],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/createNewFile.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const createNewFileTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -30,4 +31,12 @@ export const createNewFileTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.CreateNewFile,
+    `To create a NEW file, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.CreateNewFile} tool with the relative filepath and new contents. For example, to create a file located at 'path/to/file.txt', you would respond with:`,
+    [
+      ["filepath", "path/to/the_file.txt"],
+      ["contents", "Contents of the file"],
+    ],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/createRuleBlock.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,20 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
+
+const NAME_ARG_DESC =
+  "Short, descriptive name summarizing the rule's purpose (e.g. 'React Standards', 'Type Hints')";
+const RULE_ARG_DESC =
+  "Clear, imperative instruction for future code generation (e.g. 'Use named exports', 'Add Python type hints'). Each rule should focus on one specific standard.";
+const DESC_ARG_DESC =
+  "Description of when this rule should be applied. Required for Agent Requested rules (AI decides when to apply). Optional for other types.";
+const GLOB_ARG_DESC =
+  "Optional file patterns to which this rule applies (e.g. ['**/*.{ts,tsx}'] or ['src/**/*.ts', 'tests/**/*.ts'])";
+const REGEX_ARG_DESC =
+  "Optional regex patterns to match against file content. Rule applies only to files whose content matches the pattern (e.g. 'useEffect' for React hooks or '\\bclass\\b' for class definitions)";
+
+const ALWAYS_APPLY_DESC =
+  "Whether this rule should always be applied. Set to false for Agent Requested and Manual rules. Omit or set to true for Always and Auto Attached rules.";
 
 export const createRuleBlock: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -20,35 +35,54 @@ export const createRuleBlock: Tool = {
       properties: {
         name: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Short, descriptive name summarizing the rule's purpose (e.g. 'React Standards', 'Type Hints')",
+          description: NAME_ARG_DESC,
         },
         rule: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Clear, imperative instruction for future code generation (e.g. 'Use named exports', 'Add Python type hints'). Each rule should focus on one specific standard.",
+          description: RULE_ARG_DESC,
         },
         description: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Description of when this rule should be applied. Required for Agent Requested rules (AI decides when to apply). Optional for other types.",
+          description: DESC_ARG_DESC,
         },
         globs: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Optional file patterns to which this rule applies (e.g. ['**/*.{ts,tsx}'] or ['src/**/*.ts', 'tests/**/*.ts'])",
+          description: GLOB_ARG_DESC,
         },
         regex: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Optional regex patterns to match against file content. Rule applies only to files whose content matches the pattern (e.g. 'useEffect' for React hooks or '\\bclass\\b' for class definitions)",
+          description: REGEX_ARG_DESC,
         },
         alwaysApply: {
           type: "boolean",
-          description:
-            "Whether this rule should always be applied. Set to false for Agent Requested and Manual rules. Omit or set to true for Always and Auto Attached rules.",
+          description: ALWAYS_APPLY_DESC,
         },
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.CreateRuleBlock,
+    `Sometimes the user will provide feedback or guidance on your output. If you were not aware of these "rules", consider using the ${BuiltInToolNames.CreateRuleBlock} tool to persist the rule for future interactions.
+This tool cannot be used to edit existing rules, but you can search in the ".continue/rules" folder and use the edit tool to manage rules.
+To create a rule, respond with a ${BuiltInToolNames.CreateRuleBlock} tool call and the following arguments:
+- name: ${NAME_ARG_DESC}
+- rule: ${RULE_ARG_DESC}
+- description: ${DESC_ARG_DESC}
+- globs: ${GLOB_ARG_DESC}
+- alwaysApply: ${ALWAYS_APPLY_DESC}
+For example:`,
+    [
+      ["name", "Use PropTypes"],
+      [
+        "rule",
+        "Always use PropTypes when declaring React component properties",
+      ],
+      [
+        "description",
+        "Ensure that all prop types are explicitly declared for better type safety and code maintainability in React components.",
+      ],
+      ["globs", "**/*.js"],
+      ["alwaysApply", "false"],
+    ],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/editFile.ts

@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { EDIT_CODE_INSTRUCTIONS } from "../../llm/defaultSystemMessages";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 import { NO_PARALLEL_TOOL_CALLING_INSRUCTION } from "./searchAndReplaceInFile";
 
 export interface EditToolArgs {
   filepath: string;
   changes: string;
 }
 
+const CHANGES_DESCRIPTION =
+  "Any modifications to the file, showing only needed changes. Do NOT wrap this in a codeblock or write anything besides the code changes. In larger files, use brief language-appropriate placeholders for large unmodified sections, e.g. '// ... existing code ...'";
+
 export const editFileTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
   displayTitle: "Edit File",
@@ -31,10 +35,24 @@ export const editFileTool: Tool = {
         },
         changes: {
           type: "string",
-          description:
-            "Any modifications to the file, showing only needed changes. Do NOT wrap this in a codeblock or write anything besides the code changes. In larger files, use brief language-appropriate placeholders for large unmodified sections, e.g. '// ... existing code ...'",
+          description: CHANGES_DESCRIPTION,
         },
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.EditExistingFile,
+    `To edit an EXISTING file, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.EditExistingFile} tool with
+- filepath: the relative filepath to the file.
+- changes: ${CHANGES_DESCRIPTION}
+Only use this tool if you already know the contents of the file. Otherwise, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.ReadFile} or ${BuiltInToolNames.ReadCurrentlyOpenFile} tool to read it first.
+For example:`,
+    [
+      ["filepath", "path/to/the_file.ts"],
+      [
+        "changes",
+        "// ... existing code ...\nfunction subtract(a: number, b: number): number {\n  return a - b;\n}\n// ... rest of code ...",
+      ],
+    ],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/fetchUrlContent.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const fetchUrlContentTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -25,4 +26,9 @@ export const fetchUrlContentTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.FetchUrlContent,
+    `To fetch the content of a URL, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.FetchUrlContent} tool. For example, to read the contents of a webpage, you might respond with:`,
+    [["url", "https://example.com"]],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/globSearch.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const globSearchTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -25,4 +26,9 @@ export const globSearchTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.FileGlobSearch,
+    `To return a list of files based on a glob search pattern, use the ${BuiltInToolNames.FileGlobSearch} tool`,
+    [["pattern", "*.py"]],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/grepSearch.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const grepSearchTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -26,4 +27,9 @@ export const grepSearchTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.GrepSearch,
+    `To perform a grep search within the project, call the ${BuiltInToolNames.GrepSearch} tool with the query pattern to match. For example:`,
+    [["query", ".*main_services.*"]],
+  ),
 };

core/tools/definitions/ls.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Tool } from "../..";
 
 import { BUILT_IN_GROUP_NAME, BuiltInToolNames } from "../builtIn";
+import { createSystemMessageExampleCall } from "../systemMessageTools/buildToolsSystemMessage";
 
 export const lsTool: Tool = {
   type: "function",
@@ -30,4 +31,12 @@ export const lsTool: Tool = {
       },
     },
   },
+  systemMessageDescription: createSystemMessageExampleCall(
+    BuiltInToolNames.LSTool,
+    `To list files and folders in a given directory, call the ${BuiltInToolNames.LSTool} tool with "dirPath" and "recursive". For example:`,
+    [
+      ["dirPath", "path/to/dir"],
+      ["recursive", "false"],
+    ],
+  ),
 };