> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dovetail.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dovetail tools

Tools are the actions an agent can take inside your workspace. Every tool is enabled by default. Disabling tools you don't need makes the agent faster, cheaper, and more accurate—the fewer options an agent has, the less likely it is to pick the wrong one.

## Why scope tools

Agents choose which tool to call based on the instructions and the current state of the run. When five tools could plausibly satisfy a step, the agent has to reason about which one fits. When only one tool applies, there's nothing to get wrong.

The pattern to follow: enable exactly what the agent needs, disable everything else. An agent that writes a weekly summary doc doesn't need channel tools, workspace tools, or the ability to create other agents. Turning those off doesn't reduce what the agent can do—it improves how reliably it does the thing you actually want.

## Projects

Actions for working with research projects, the data inside them, and the tags applied to that data.

| Action                      | What it does                                                        |
| :-------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Create project              | Spins up a new project with a name                                  |
| Rename project              | Updates a project's name                                            |
| Delete project              | Permanently removes a project and its contents                      |
| Add data to project         | Attaches a data point (transcript, note, recording) to a project    |
| Create highlight            | Marks a specific span of a transcript or doc as significant         |
| Attach audio or video       | Adds media to a project                                             |
| Add utterance to transcript | Appends a new utterance to an existing transcript                   |
| Create tag                  | Creates a new tag in the project, or applies directed existing tags |

**Example scoping**

An agent that is instructed to highlight key words or sentiment does not need Create tag tool toggled. Only Create highlight needs to be configured on.

## Docs

Actions for creating and editing docs (which double as insights in Dovetail).

| Action           | What it does                           |
| :--------------- | :------------------------------------- |
| Create doc       | Writes a new doc in a specified folder |
| Update doc       | Edits an existing doc                  |
| Delete doc       | Permanently removes a doc              |
| Add comment      | Posts a comment on a doc               |
| Resolve comment  | Marks a comment as resolved            |
| Edit doc content | Edits and overwrites doc content       |

**Example scoping**

A weekly digest agent needs *Create doc* only. Turn off update, delete, and comment tools so it can't accidentally overwrite last week's digest.

## Channels

Actions for working with Channels—the always-on ingestion layer.

| Action         | What it does                       |
| :------------- | :--------------------------------- |
| Create channel | Sets up a new channel              |
| Delete channel | Removes a channel and all its data |
| Create topic   | Adds a new topic within a channel  |
| Update topic   | Edits an existing topic            |
| Add data point | Ingests a new item into a channel  |

**Side effects to know**

Deleting a channel removes every data point inside it. Deleted channels and their contents are recoverable—contact support if you need to restore one.

**Example scoping**

A support triage agent that reads from a channel and adds tags doesn't need any Channel tools enabled—reading is implicit, and it isn't creating or modifying the channel itself.

## Workspace

Actions for working with folders, contacts, and custom fields.

| Action         | What it does                         |
| :------------- | :----------------------------------- |
| Create folder  | Makes a new folder                   |
| Rename folder  | Updates a folder name                |
| Delete folder  | Removes an empty folder              |
| Create contact | Adds a new contact record            |
| Update contact | Edits contact details                |
| Delete contact | Removes a contact                    |
| Create field   | Adds a custom field to the workspace |
| Update field   | Edits a field                        |
| Delete field   | Removes a field                      |

**Side effects to know**

Folders can only be deleted when empty. Move or delete their contents first. Deleting a custom field removes that field's values from every record that had it—this action is not recoverable.

## Agents

A single meta-capability: create new agents.

| Action       | What it does                                         |
| :----------- | :--------------------------------------------------- |
| Create agent | Configures a new agent programmatically during a run |

## Combining tools

Some agents need tools from more than one category. A few common combinations:

* **Digest agent**—Docs: Create doc. Everything else off.
* **Tagger**—Projects: apply existing tags only. Everything else off.
* **Interview intake**—Projects: Add data, Attach audio or video. Workspace: Create contact. Everything else off.
* **Triage and route**—Projects: Create highlight, apply tags. Docs: Add comment. Everything else off.

Start narrow. Add a tool only when the agent tells you it needs one—if a run fails because a required action isn't available, you'll see it immediately and can enable exactly what's missing.