Tools and context reference

Look up common tool names and context references for chat prompts in Visual Studio Code. For instructions on selecting tools, invoking them, and managing approvals, see Use tools with agents.

Reference types and availability

The # picker includes references that serve different purposes:

Tools perform actions, such as reading a file or running a command. For example, #search/textSearch searches file contents.
Tool sets group related tools. For example, #search groups workspace search tools.
Context items supply information to a prompt without asking the agent to perform an action. For example, #selection adds the selected editor text.

Available references depend on your harness, enabled extensions, and session capabilities. Type # in the chat input to see the current list. Extensions and MCP servers can provide additional tools beyond those listed here.

Referencing a tool does not bypass its approval and permission controls.

Tools and tool sets

Read and search workspace files

Reference	Purpose
`#read` (tool set)	Read workspace files and execution output.
`#read/readFile`	Read a file.
`#read/problems`	Get diagnostics from the Problems panel.
`#search` (tool set)	Search the workspace.
`#search/changes`	List source control changes.
`#search/codebase`	Find relevant code with workspace code search.
`#search/fileSearch`	Find files by a glob pattern.
`#search/listDirectory`	List directory contents.
`#search/textSearch`	Find text in files.
`#search/usages`	Find references, implementations, and definitions of symbols.

Edit files and work with notebooks

Reference	Purpose
`#edit` (tool set)	Modify workspace files and notebooks.
`#edit/createDirectory`	Create a directory.
`#edit/createFile`	Create a file.
`#edit/editFiles`	Apply edits to files.
`#edit/editNotebook`	Edit a notebook.
`#read/getNotebookSummary`	List notebook cells and their details.
`#read/readNotebookCellOutput`	Read the output from a notebook cell.
`#execute/runNotebookCell`	Run a notebook cell.

Run commands and diagnose tests

Reference	Purpose
`#execute` (tool set)	Run commands, tasks, and notebook cells.
`#execute/createAndRunTask`	Create and run a workspace task.
`#execute/getTerminalOutput`	Get output from a running terminal command.
`#execute/runInTerminal`	Run a shell command in the integrated terminal.
`#execute/testFailure`	Get unit test failure information.
`#read/terminalLastCommand`	Get the last terminal command and its output.
`#read/terminalSelection`	Get the current terminal selection.

Access the web and GitHub

Reference	Purpose
`#browser` (tool set)	Navigate, inspect, and interact with pages using browser tools.
`#web` (tool set)	Access web content.
`#web/fetch`	Fetch a web page.
`#githubRepo`	Search a GitHub repository semantically. Specify the repository as `owner/repo`.
`#githubTextSearch`	Search a GitHub repository or organization for text or code patterns.

Delegate and track work

Reference	Purpose
`#agent` (tool set)	Delegate tasks to subagents.
`#agent/runSubagent`	Run a task in an isolated subagent context.
`#todos`	Track task progress with a todo list.
`#vscode/askQuestions`	Ask clarifying questions with interactive controls.

For tools that coordinate work across Agent Host sessions, see session orchestration.

Configure projects and the editor

Reference	Purpose
`#newWorkspace`	Create a workspace.
`#vscode/extensions`	Search for extensions and information about them.
`#vscode/getProjectSetupInfo`	Get project-scaffolding instructions and configuration.
`#vscode/installExtension`	Install an extension.
`#vscode/runCommand`	Run a VS Code command.
`#vscode/VSCodeAPI`	Get information about editor functionality and extension APIs.

Context items

Type # followed by a file, folder, or symbol name, then select the item from the picker. The placeholders below represent the name of the item you want to attach.

Reference	Context supplied
`#<file>`	A file selected from the context picker.
`#<folder>`	A folder selected from the context picker.
`#<symbol>`	A code symbol. Open the file containing the symbol first.
`#selection`	The current editor selection, available when text is selected.

Use Add Context or drag items into chat to attach other context, such as images, errors, or GitHub issues. See Add context to chat for supported sources and attachment methods.

Related resources

9/20/2026