Bot Default Tools

The 20+ tools every bot gets automatically

Bot platform adapters now ship in the praisonai-bot package. praisonai bot serve still works exactly as documented here; for a standalone install see praisonai-bot Migration.

Bot default tools provide instant superpowers to every bot deployment, automatically injecting 20+ safe and useful tools when agents have no explicit tool configuration.

from praisonaiagents import Agent

agent = Agent(
    name="Assistant",
    instructions="Help users with files, web search, and scheduling.",
)

The user messages the bot with no custom tools= list; PraisonAI injects file, web, memory, and schedule tools automatically.

Injected Tools

Quick Start

1. Zero-Config Bot

   from praisonaiagents import Agent
   from praisonai.bots import TelegramBot
   
   agent = Agent(
       name="Assistant",
       instructions="You help users. Use any tool you need."
   )
   
   # No tools= passed — bot auto-injects safe defaults
   TelegramBot(token="YOUR_TOKEN", agent=agent).start()
   
2. Custom Tool Selection

   from praisonaiagents import BotConfig
   
   config = BotConfig(
       token="YOUR_TOKEN",
       default_tools=["search_web", "read_file", "todo_add"],  # override list
       auto_approve_tools=True,  # default True for bots
   )
   
   bot = TelegramBot(config=config, agent=agent)
   

---

How It Works

Smart defaults activate when:

Condition	Behavior	Result
Agent has no tools	Auto-inject defaults	Full 20+ tool suite
Agent has tools=[]	Respect explicit empty	No tools injected
Agent has tools=[…]	Keep existing tools	No injection
No workspace configured	Filter destructive tools	Safe subset only

---

Configuration Options

Complete Default Tools List

Tool	Category	Safe without workspace?	Notes
search_web	Web	✅	Search the internet
web_crawl	Web	✅	Crawl and extract web content
store_memory	Memory	✅	Store information in memory
search_memory	Memory	✅	Search stored memories
store_learning	Learning	✅	Store learned knowledge
search_learning	Learning	✅	Search learned knowledge
schedule_add	Scheduling	✅	Add scheduled tasks
schedule_list	Scheduling	✅	List scheduled tasks
schedule_remove	Scheduling	✅	Remove scheduled tasks
clarify	Clarification	✅	Ask clarifying questions
read_file	Files	✅ (read-only)	NEW — Read files from workspace
write_file	Files	⚠️ requires workspace	NEW — Write files to workspace
edit_file	Files	⚠️ requires workspace	NEW — Edit files with find/replace
list_files	Files	✅	NEW — List directory contents
search_files	Files	✅	NEW — Search for patterns in files
todo_add	Planning	✅	NEW — Add tasks to todo list
todo_list	Planning	✅	NEW — List todo items
todo_update	Planning	✅	NEW — Update todo status/content
skills_list	Skills	✅	NEW — List available skills
skill_view	Skills	✅	NEW — View skill details
skill_manage	Skills	⚠️ requires workspace	NEW — Create/edit/delete skills

Opt-In Tools (not auto-injected)

These tools are functional but require explicit opt-in:

Tool	Reason	How to Enable
delegate_task	Stub implementation	Add to default_tools manually
session_search	Cross-session conversation recall — opt in per bot	Add to default_tools manually, e.g. default_tools=[..., "session_search"]. See Cross-Session Recall.

Smart Defaults Configuration

from praisonaiagents import BotConfig

# Disable auto-injection completely
config = BotConfig(
    token="YOUR_TOKEN",
    default_tools=[],  # explicit empty list
)

# Custom safe subset
config = BotConfig(
    token="YOUR_TOKEN", 
    default_tools=[
        "search_web", "store_memory", "todo_add",
        "read_file", "skills_list"
    ]
)

# Full suite (same as default when workspace configured)
config = BotConfig(
    token="YOUR_TOKEN",
    workspace_dir="./bot-workspace",  # enables destructive tools
    default_tools=None,  # use full defaults
)

Tool Approval Settings

# Auto-approve all tool calls (default for bots)
config = BotConfig(
    auto_approve_tools=True,  # ← Default: True for chat bots
)

# Require manual approval (useful for development)
config = BotConfig(
    auto_approve_tools=False,  # Agents show confirmation prompts
)

---

Common Patterns

Workspace-Aware Filtering

# Without workspace: safe tools only
config = BotConfig(
    token="YOUR_TOKEN",
    # No workspace_dir set
    # Result: write_file, edit_file, skill_manage filtered out
)

# With workspace: full tool suite
config = BotConfig(
    token="YOUR_TOKEN",
    workspace_dir="./safe-sandbox",
    # Result: all 20+ tools available
)

Development vs Production

# Development: explicit tool control
agent = Agent(
    name="Dev Bot",
    tools=["search_web", "read_file"]  # explicit list prevents defaults
)

# Production: trust smart defaults  
agent = Agent(
    name="Prod Bot", 
    instructions="Help users with anything"
    # No tools= → auto-injection activates
)

Tool Categories by Use Case

# Minimal web assistant
config = BotConfig(default_tools=[
    "search_web", "web_crawl", "store_memory", "search_memory"
])

# File-focused assistant  
config = BotConfig(default_tools=[
    "read_file", "write_file", "edit_file", "list_files", "search_files"
])

# Learning assistant
config = BotConfig(default_tools=[
    "store_learning", "search_learning", "skills_list", "skill_view", "skill_manage"
])

# Gateway / long-lived assistant
config = BotConfig(default_tools=[
    "store_memory", "search_memory",
    "session_search",  # recall past conversations
])

---

Best Practices

Trust Smart Defaults

In most cases, let the bot auto-inject tools rather than specifying manually. Smart defaults adapt based on workspace configuration and provide the safest possible tool suite.

Workspace Security

Destructive file tools (write_file, edit_file, skill_manage) are automatically filtered out unless a workspace is configured. This ensures bots are safe by construction.

Development Testing

Use auto_approve_tools=False during development to see exactly which tools your bot is calling. Switch to auto_approve_tools=True for production deployments.

Explicit Override

To disable auto-injection, pass an explicit empty list: Agent(tools=[]). Passing no tools parameter triggers smart defaults.

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Troubleshooting

My bot only has a few tools, not the 20+ listed here

If your bot is missing most default tools (only sees a small fallback set), upgrade to the version that includes PR #2004. A regression caused ToolResolver to be imported from the wrong module, which silently dropped the full default toolset and left only a small hardcoded fallback.

Verify the fix is active by checking that imports resolve from praisonai.tool_resolver, not praisonaiagents.tools.

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Related

Workspace

How workspace containment enables safe file tools

BotOS

Multi-platform bot orchestration concepts