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

# Tools

> Spaceduck comes with built-in tools that let the assistant browse the web, fetch pages, search, and process documents.

Spaceduck's agent loop can call tools automatically during a conversation. When the assistant needs external information or wants to take an action, it invokes a tool, reads the result, and continues the conversation.

## Available tools

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Browser" icon="globe" href="/tools/browser">
    Navigate web pages, click elements, fill forms, execute JavaScript, and take snapshots using a headless Chromium browser.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Web Search" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/tools/web-search">
    Search the web via Brave or SearXNG, and get AI-synthesized answers via Perplexity Sonar.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Web Fetch" icon="download" href="/tools/web-fetch">
    Fetch any URL and convert HTML to clean text. Fast alternative to the browser for static pages.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Document Scanning" icon="file-pdf" href="/tools/document-scanning">
    Convert uploaded PDFs to markdown using Marker. Drag and drop in the chat UI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Charts" icon="chart-bar" href="/tools/charts">
    Render interactive bar, line, area, and pie charts directly in the conversation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How tools work

The assistant decides when to use a tool based on the conversation. You don't need to invoke tools manually — the agent loop handles it:

1. You ask a question or make a request
2. The assistant determines a tool would help
3. The tool runs and returns a text result
4. The assistant reads the result and responds

Tools can chain — the assistant might search the web, then fetch a specific page, then summarize the content. This happens automatically across multiple rounds.

## Tool results are text

All tool results are plain strings that the LLM can read — including errors. There are no structured schemas or silent failures. If a tool fails, the assistant sees the error message and can explain what went wrong.

## Configuration

Tools are configured in **Settings > Tools**. Some tools require external dependencies to be installed before they appear.

| Tool              | Requires                     | Auto-registered     |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------- |
| Browser           | Playwright + Chromium        | Yes (if installed)  |
| Web Search        | Brave API key or SearXNG URL | Yes (if configured) |
| Web Fetch         | Nothing                      | Always available    |
| Document Scanning | `marker_single` on PATH      | Yes (if installed)  |
| Charts            | Nothing                      | Always available    |

The assistant also has built-in tools for reading and updating configuration (`config_get`, `config_set`) — you can ask it to change settings during a conversation.