Tell your agent which command-line tools it can use
When giving an AI agent a large development task, it helps to state which are already installed. The agent may not know whether tools such as rg or are available, even if they are on the machine.
If the prompt does not mention them, the agent may choose slower or less direct ways to search, inspect, test, and verify the work. A suggested starting note lists tools such as git, gh, rg, fd, jq, python, node, npm, docker, , hyperfine, and ruff, and says they are on PATH and safe to use for the task.
The list does not need to be long, but grouping tools by use can help the agent choose the right one. The related llmigo oject provides tool lists and installation scripts for Windows and Linux.
Key points
- Add installed to the opening prompt for large .
- Agents may not assume tools like rg, , or ruff are available.
- Say the tools are on PATH and can be used for search, inspection, testing, and .
- Grouping tools by purpose can make tool choice easier for the agent.
- llmigo offers Windows and Linux scripts for setting up a similar tool environment.