Tools Overview

DB-GPT ships with a small set of built-in tools that power the Agentic Data API. These tools are the default execution surface for data analysis, skill-driven workflows, SQL exploration, shell access, and HTML report delivery.

The current source of truth lives in:

• packages/dbgpt-app/src/dbgpt_app/openapi/api_v1/agentic_data_api.py

Built-in tools

The core built-in tools are:

• load_skill
• code_interpreter
• shell_interpreter
• sql_query
• html_interpreter

They are exposed as agent tools and used by the Agentic Data workflow to move from reasoning → execution → presentation.

Tool selection guide

Tool	Use it for	Do not use it for
load_skill	Load a skill's instructions and workflow	Running code or shell commands
code_interpreter	Python analysis, charts, dataframe logic, calculations	Shell commands or final HTML rendering
shell_interpreter	Bash / CLI commands such as ls, grep, curl, git, pip	Python analysis or skill-specific script execution when a skill says otherwise
sql_query	Read-only SQL against the selected datasource	Any write/update/delete schema changes
html_interpreter	Final HTML page / report rendering	General Python computation or shell execution

Typical execution flow

For most agentic data tasks, the pattern is:

1. Use load_skill when the task matches a reusable skill.
2. Use sql_query to inspect structured data.
3. Use code_interpreter for Python analysis, chart generation, and data shaping.
4. Use shell_interpreter only for true shell / CLI work.
5. Use html_interpreter as the final presentation step for reports or web pages.

Important rules

1. html_interpreter is the final presentation tool

When a user asks for:

• an HTML report
• a web page
• an interactive report
• a rendered analysis deliverable

the final rendering step should go through html_interpreter.

2. sql_query is read-only

sql_query only supports safe query access. It is designed for SELECT-style exploration, not data mutation.

3. code_interpreter calls are independent

Each code_interpreter call runs independently. Variables do not persist between calls, so every snippet must include its own imports, loading logic, and output statements.

4. shell_interpreter is for shell tasks only

Use shell_interpreter for CLI workflows. If a skill specifically requires another execution path, follow the skill instructions.

Next step

See Tool Resource for the detailed meaning, parameters, examples, and usage patterns of each built-in tool.