Tools and approvals

What bots can do beyond talking, and when they check with you first.

Tools let a bot do things: read a web page, search, or work in your apps through a connection. You decide which tools each bot gets, and which ones need a person to say yes.

Built-in tools

Every bot comes with these while the workspace allows web search, unless someone turns them off for it.

Read web pagesFetches a public page by its address and reads it as text.web_fetch
Search the webSearches through the workspace's search provider, when one is switched on.web_search
Manage its routinesLists, sets up and changes its own schedules when a pod admin asks it to.routines
List artifactsLists the documents and HTML pages kept in the bot's pod.artifact_list
Read artifactsReads a document or HTML page kept in the bot's pod.artifact_read
Write artifactsMakes a document or HTML page the pod keeps, or saves a new version of one.artifact_write
Edit artifactsChanges part of a document or HTML page, as a new version.artifact_edit
  • Read web pages reads public pages only. It can't sign in to anything, and it can't reach your private network unless the installation allows it with ALLOW_PRIVATE_WEB_FETCH_NETWORK.
  • Search the web uses the workspace's search provider.

To switch one off for a bot, open the bot's settings, go to Tools, and use Turn off.

Bots can also ask each other for help. That's always on when a pod has more than one bot.

Tools from connections

A connection's tools belong to the pod, and every bot in the pod can use them. Each tool has its own approval:

ApprovalWhat happens
OffEvery call is refused, and the bot is told the tool is off
AskEvery call waits for a person
AllowEvery call runs straight away

Until someone chooses, a tool is on Allow when the app says it only reads, on Off when the app says it deletes or overwrites, and on Ask otherwise. A choice stays, even while the app stops listing the tool. Turning a tool off also stops a call someone already allowed but that hasn't run yet.

To change them, open the pod's settings and find Connections. Each row's menu sets every tool of that connection at once, and says Custom when they differ. Open a connection to see its tools, the ones that read apart from the ones that make changes: each group's menu sets all of its tools, and each tool can be set on its own.

Try it

Set the tool's approval and pick what the bot wants to do. A read and a change are treated the same, so only the approval decides what happens.

The tool's approval
The bot wants to
Inbox SorterBot

Used linear__create_issue for 2s

The tool is allowed, so it runs straight away.

Who can answer

A waiting call shows in the chat with Allow and Deny. Allow lets that one call run. There's no "always allow": the next call asks again.

  • Admins and members can answer approvals in chats.
  • Viewers see "Waiting for someone with permission to answer this."
  • Only admins can answer approvals raised by a routine run.