Kernel tools
Tools the kernel serves itself. A kernel tool has a canonical source.category.name and a short wire alias; a model sees the alias. An agent declares a kernel tool byte-identically to the catalog Nexus serves (GET /agent_api/v1/tools), or through the compact alias grammar; it may declare its own alias and parameter map, and the call then arrives under the alias and runs under the canonical name.
| Canonical | Wire name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
nexus.graph.delegate_task | delegate_task | A delegated model branch in the current run with an empty context, optional model and narrowed tools; wait and lifetime as described in Orchestration |
nexus.graph.wait | wait | Observe an existing task by run and task key with a finite timeout, without owning it |
nexus.human.ask | ask | Park a question for a person with a prompt and optional options; holds its branch until answered or expired |
nexus.conversation.spawn | spawn | Create a child conversation from a captured declaration, or use the generic identity path when no catalog is declared, and send its first request |
nexus.conversation.send | send | Address an input to another conversation, optionally selecting its answerer; no task dependency |
nexus.conversation.status | status | Read the status of a conversation or its work |
nexus.conversation.cancel | cancel | Request cancellation of work this run started |
nexus.conversation.read | session_read | Visible context, including unfinished turns; include_execution adds persisted execution progress |
nexus.conversation.search | session_search | Keyword search over visible history |
nexus.memory.ls | memory_ls | List memory documents in the bound scopes |
nexus.memory.read | memory_read | Read a memory document |
nexus.memory.grep | memory_grep | Search memory text |
nexus.memory.write | memory_write | Create or replace a memory document |
nexus.memory.edit | memory_edit | Edit a memory document conditionally |
nexus.memory.delete | memory_delete | Delete a memory document |
nexus.tools.search | tool_search | Search this execution's available tools and skills by name, task words, or runner and tool name |
nexus.tools.call | tool_call | Invoke an exact callable discovered by search, including deferred schemas |
nexus.runners.list | runners_list | The runners this execution may address, with their environment facts |
nexus.models.list | models_list | Currently available model references, identities, capabilities and pricing; optional case-insensitive query, limit (default 20, maximum 100) and offset (default 0) return models, total, offset and nullable next_offset |
nexus.skill.load | skill | Load one skill's instructions from its accepted source |
New send and spawn requests obey the recipient Agent's Public/Private setting in the Workspace's Agent messaging policy, using the calling Run's answering Agent as the sender. Accepted work and kernel result replies retain their existing delivery rules; status, cancel and history reads keep their existing authorization.
The memory family is the one overridable family: a tool provider may take it over under the workspace's explicit opt-in, and must take the whole family.
Every kernel tool crosses the approval stage like any other; ask, the memory tools and delegate_task are commonly allowed by rule. Model-authored branches do not receive the graph-building task capability, so delegation from a model has one level; spawn remains available and its children can delegate further.
Each tool's exact schema, the alias grammar and the import rules are in Run tools; the orchestration tools' semantics are in Run orchestration.