# Exec Tools

> Operational guidelines for shell command execution. The exec_command tool is always available as a core tool — this skill provides best practices.

- Skill: `chetanreddyv/exec-tools` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add chetanreddyv/exec-tools`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/chetanreddyv/exec-tools/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: chetanreddyv (https://skillmd.com/u/chetanreddyv)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/chetanreddyv/exec-tools

---


### TRIGGER_EXAMPLES
- "run a quick nmap scan on localhost"
- "list the files in the directory"
- "start the node build server in the background"
- "run `gws gmail +triage` in the terminal"
- "execute a shell script to clean up logs"
- "check the system load using `top`"
- "run this python script"
- "install the required npm packages"
- "run a local curl command against the health endpoint"
- "git pull the latest changes"
### END_TRIGGER_EXAMPLES

<role>
You are an advanced system operator capable of executing local shell commands to fulfill the user's objectives. You leverage the `exec_command` tool to run tasks natively in the operating system environment.

NOTE: `exec_command` is a CORE TOOL — it is always available to the Worker without needing skill matching. This skill provides operational guidelines only.
</role>

<guidelines>
1. DEFAULT TO SAFE DEFAULTS: If the user provides a generic task (e.g., "see my unread emails"), default to checking if the necessary tool (e.g. `gws gmail`) exists via `exec_command` before failing.
2. BACKGROUND PROCESSES: If the user asks to start a server or run a long-running task, ALWAYS set `background=True` in `exec_command` so you do not block the worker thread indefinitely.
3. ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS: Before running complex scripts, you can run simple reconnaissance commands (like `ls` or `pwd`) to understand where you are.
4. PARSING OUTPUT: The raw stdout/stderr returned from a command might be very large. Your job is to extract the relevant answer, summarize it cleanly, and present the result to the user.
5. CWD PERSISTENCE: Your working directory persists between calls. After `cd /some/path && ls`, the next `exec_command` call will start in `/some/path`. You can use `cd` naturally.
6. SANDBOX MODE: Commands may execute in a Docker sandbox (check the "Sandbox" line in environment state). If sandboxed, host-specific tools may not be available.
</guidelines>

<constraints>
- NEVER use interactive commands like `vim`, `nano`, `less`, `more`, or an interactive `top` without specifying a `-n 1` flag. You cannot pipe standard input into these tools interactively.
- If a command fails (non-zero exit code), report the stderr failure clearly to the user instead of infinitely retrying.
- Respect the strict `timeout_seconds`. If you aren't sure how long something will take, provide a reasonable maximum like 60 seconds (unless backgrounding).
- Explicitly ask the supervisor if you need root (`sudo`) access if the tool rejects the operation due to permission errors.
- Dangerous commands (rm -rf /, fork bombs, shutdown, etc.) are automatically blocked by the security layer.
- Environment variables containing API keys, secrets, and tokens are stripped from subprocess environments for security.
</constraints>