LLM Tools

During review, the LLM has access to seven tools for investigating the codebase. These tools let the AI read files, search code, explore directory structure, and check git history — all while staying safely within the repository boundary.

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Quick Reference

Tool	Description
read_file	Read entire file contents
read_file_lines	Read specific line range
list_files	List files with optional glob pattern
search_text	Regex search across files
get_file_structure	Directory tree view
get_git_blame	Git blame for authorship info
get_git_log	Recent commit history

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read_file

Read the entire contents of a file.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	Yes	Relative path to the file

Files over 50,000 characters are truncated. Returns an error if the file doesn't exist.

Use case: The LLM reads a file to understand an interface, base class, or configuration that the changed code depends on.

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read_file_lines

Read specific lines from a file (1-indexed, inclusive).

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	Yes	Relative path to the file
startLine	int	Yes	Start line number (1-indexed)
endLine	int	Yes	End line number (inclusive)

Returns lines prefixed with line numbers (e.g., 42: var x = 1;).

Use case: The LLM reads context around a changed line to understand if a change is safe, or reads a specific method body.

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list_files

List files in a directory, optionally filtered by a glob pattern.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
directory	string	No	Relative directory path (defaults to root)
pattern	string	No	Glob pattern (e.g., *.cs, **/*.json)

Returns at most 200 entries, sorted alphabetically.

Use case: The LLM explores the project structure to find related files, test files, or configuration.

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search_text

Search for a text or regex pattern in files.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
pattern	string	Yes	Regex pattern to search for
path	string	No	Directory to search in (defaults to root)
filePattern	string	No	Glob pattern to filter files (e.g., *.cs)

Returns at most 100 matches in file:line: content format. Regex patterns have a 5-second timeout.

Use case: The LLM searches for usages of a method, checks if a pattern exists elsewhere, or finds related code.

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get_file_structure

Get the directory tree structure.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	No	Directory to list (defaults to root)

Returns a tree view up to 3 levels deep, excluding hidden files/directories.

├── src/
│   ├── Controllers/
│   │   ├── UserController.cs
│   │   └── OrderController.cs
│   ├── Services/
│   │   ├── UserService.cs
│   │   └── OrderService.cs
│   └── Models/
│       └── User.cs
└── tests/
    └── UserServiceTests.cs

Use case: The LLM understands the project layout to find related files or understand naming conventions.

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get_git_blame

Get git blame information for a file.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	Yes	Relative path to the file
startLine	int	No	Start line number
endLine	int	No	End line number

Returns standard git blame output showing who last modified each line and when.

Use case: The LLM checks if a problematic pattern was recently introduced or has existed for a long time, or identifies who to ask about unclear code.

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get_git_log

Get recent git commit log entries.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
path	string	No	File path to filter log
count	int	No	Number of entries (default 10)

Returns git log --oneline output.

Use case: The LLM reviews recent changes to understand the context of modifications, or checks if a file has been actively worked on.

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Security

All tools enforce path traversal prevention. Every path is resolved to an absolute path and validated to stay within the repository working directory. Attempts to access files outside the repository (e.g., ../../etc/passwd) are rejected with an error message.

read_file("../../etc/passwd")
→ Error: Access denied: path '../../etc/passwd' resolves outside the working directory.

This applies to all tools that accept path parameters.