fabric_exec — core reference

One type-checked TS program in a fresh executor (isolated QuickJS by default). Only the return value reaches the model; print()/console.log go to the activity panel. π is not a tool.

pi core tools (full code mode only)

pi.<tool>(arg) — single arg: bare string (primary field) or options object, or a two-arg (primary, options) merge for the string-primary tools (read/bash/ls/grep/find): pi.read('index.ts', { limit: 120 }) becomes { path: 'index.ts', limit: 120 }, the positional string winning the primary field on conflict; a non-object second arg on those is still a type error. Positional tuple calls are accepted for grep/find (pattern, path, limit), write (path, content), and edit (path, oldText, newText).

For pi.edit, entry-level all:true applies that replacement to every non-overlapping occurrence; top-level all:true applies every entry that way. Omit it for unique anchors.

bash rejects on an ordinary nonzero exit; pass settle:true to get {ok:false,output,details:null,exitCode,error} instead of a rejection. Timeout, cancellation, approval, security, and spawn failures still reject. Other Pi core tool errors reject normally.

Aliases are normalized to canonical fields before host validation. Command aliases include cmd/shell/cmdline/script/commandLine; pattern aliases include query/regex/search plus q/expression/text for grep and name/filename/glob/include for find. Path aliases include file, file_path, camel-case path variants, dir/folder/directory, and target-file variants. Edit text accepts old/from/old_string-style and new/to/replacement/new_string-style spellings, including inside edits; write content accepts contents/body/text/data/fileContent. ic/caseInsensitive→ignoreCase, globPattern→glob, ctx→context, max→limit, and start→offset.

Bash timeout is in seconds; timeoutMs is converted from milliseconds. Numeric strings in limit, timeout, offset, and context coerce to numbers. null/undefined is omitted only for known optional fields; required fields remain invalid so authoritative host validation still reports them. Canonical fields win when both canonical and alias spellings are present. Unknown keys still fail the excess-property type check.

bash/edit/write always resolve an envelope { ok, output, details }, never a bare string, and the executor guards those envelopes: a string method or iteration applied to the envelope itself (r.trim(), for (const line of r)) throws a TypeError naming the fix (.output) instead of a context-free "not a function".

A captured extension that registers an exact core name may provide a compatible additive override. Fabric derives a bounded object overload from the current override schema and adds it to the familiar pi.<name> surface wherever execution is effectively full-code, including Schema enforce mode; built-in positional calls, bare strings, shorthand, aliases, and normalized result contracts remain Fabric-owned. Override-specific prompt metadata is appended under that same pi.<name> identity. Schema enforce still applies its host restrictions to protected mutations and external effects. Unsupported or over-budget schemas use a loose object overload and still pass through authoritative registry validation, so use the effective schema and retry from the validation error when needed.

Read economy

Search before reading. Run pi.grep/pi.find first, then pi.read({ path, offset, limit }) the matching range instead of unbounded whole-file reads:

// Locate the symbol, then read only the window around the hit.
const hits = await pi.grep({ pattern: "targetSymbol", path: "src", context: 2 });
const window = await pi.read({ path: "src/engine.ts", offset: 120, limit: 80 });

An unbounded pi.read('/x') returns at most 2000 lines or 50KB (whichever is hit first); truncated output ends with a [Showing lines a-b of N. Use offset=n to continue.] notice — continue with offset only when you truly need the full file. Reserve whole-file reads for small files you will use in full (configs, tests or files you are about to edit, sources under a few hundred lines). Batching several large whole-file reads into one program inflates the single tool result, and that enlarged result stays in every later turn's context.

Keep multiline or syntax-heavy payloads out of code: pass them through strings and read π.key (for example, await pi.write("path", π.content)). TypeScript still parses template-literal contents, including shell heredocs.

First-class provider calls

Use direct proxies when the action is known. Parallelize only independent calls: provider effect footprints record conflicts for overlapping or unknown non-commutative resources, and Fabric does not silently reorder them. No-argument actions such as schema.status(), state.get(), and compact.status() take no options object. Provider calls still cross the same registry validation, approval, audit, timeout, and cancellation path as generic calls.

Stable provider return shapes

All calls return promises. Fields ending in ? are optional; unknown marks provider data whose nested schema is not stable at this surface.

memory.recall structural filters (ref, provider, action, outcome) use exact persisted trace fields. With no query, matchMode is "structural"; with a lexical/regex query it is "combined". Use tools.catalog()/tools.search() only to choose a current action head—catalog descriptions are navigation metadata and never become session evidence.

memory.expand(args) requires session (a SessionInfo.id or .file round-trips) plus a selector: indices, entryIds, operationAddresses, or entryRange:{first,last} — get them from memory.recall hits; expansion has no before/after window argument. memory.sessions accepts an optional limit.

Stable-provider arguments normalize near-miss spellings the way pi.* does: known aliases and casing/singular variants repair to the canonical key, numeric strings coerce for numeric fields, and scope spellings such as cwd repair to project. Unknown keys are never silently ignored—they fail validation with the offending property path named (e.g. /before: must NOT have additional properties).

SessionInfo is {id,file,cwd,mtime,entryCount,tier:"hot"|"cold",branches,lineageFingerprint}. Memory failures are returned in error: {code,message,...}; ambiguous-session failures may return only {error}. Check error before relying on optional success fields.

Dynamic provider return shapes

• mcp.<sanitized_server>.<sanitized_tool>(args) resolves to the server-defined result, commonly {text:string,content:unknown[],structuredContent:unknown}; for example mcp.fal_ai.get_model_schema({ endpoint_id: "openai/gpt-image-2" }). <skill-dir>/references/mcp.md is a branch pointer for MCP naming and management only when the task needs MCP.
• extensions.<tool>(args) in full code mode resolves to {content:Array<{type,text?,...}>,text:string,details?,isError:boolean,terminate?,source:{path,source,scope,origin,baseDir?}}.
• Captured Fovea tools therefore use refs such as extensions.fovea_focus. Discover dynamically with await tools.search({ query: "fovea_focus" }) (the string shorthand tools.search("fovea_focus") is also accepted), then pass the returned action.ref to tools.call({ ref, args }); never invent a bare or fovea.* ref.

The guest TypeScript declarations contain the complete argument and return contracts. For a discovered or dynamic action, use tools.describe({ref}); inspect outputSchema when supplied, otherwise treat the result as unknown.

tools — discovery & generic calls

Refs are namespaced (pi.grep, extensions.<tool>, mcp.<server>.<tool>, schema.<action>, components.<action>); bare names are rejected. tools.providers()→[{name,description}] · tools.catalog({provider?,limit?})→current provider/action head tree (navigation metadata, not session evidence) · tools.search({query,limit?})→FabricAction[](ref,name,description,inputSchema,risk) · tools.describe({ref})→full FabricAction (read inputSchema first) · tools.call({ref,args?}) · tools.list({provider?,namespace?,query?,limit?}) · tools.models()→Pi [{provider,id,name,key}]; agents.models({runner:"claude"})→Claude Code runtime models with canonical claude/<value> keys. Use tools.call() for refs discovered or computed at runtime, or names that cannot use property access—not as the default for known actions. Calling a core-tool name on tools (e.g. tools.read(...)) throws with a hint to use pi.read(...).

Error recovery: read, describe, retry

Read the line-numbered error → await tools.describe({ref}) for the schema → match inputSchema, rerun (don't guess). Common mistakes: bare ref (grep→pi.grep); a non-object second arg on read/bash/ls ((primary, optionsObject) already merges on the string-primary tools; positional tuples exist only for grep/find/write/edit).

Orchestration surfaces (opt-in)

Advanced workflow skills are user-invoked; never load them autonomously. When the user has explicitly invoked an agent or mesh workflow, <skill-dir>/references/agents.md and <skill-dir>/references/mesh.md are branch pointers for low-level API detail.

agents.self() and agents.members({scope?,kinds?}) expose one leased directory of intrinsic roots, agents, and actors. agents.main() and agents.peers() are compatibility views of root participants. Peer is a reserved Fabric term for another root Pi session, not a child agent. When the user says “peer,” query agents.peers() first; do not infer peer state from agents.list() or from agents.members({ kinds: ["agent"] }). agents.list() defaults to local child agents; use scope: "lineage" | "project" for federated agent discovery. Cross-process steer, followUp, and stop resolve ownerHostId and return only after the owner acknowledges. agents.subscribe() creates a durable source-qualified Pi/run lifecycle route; use it instead of model-authored status polling when another participant boundary should notify Main or an agent. Detached agents.spawn() already sends Main a terminal follow-up by default unless the caller later waits. Set residency: "durable" on agents.spawn() or agents.create() only when the participant must outlive the current Pi host; Fabric lazily transfers it to the hidden resident host in a trusted mesh-enabled project.

For an explicit implementation handoff, agents.handoff({ model, task?, when? }) schedules a visible Pi child at the completed outer fabric_exec boundary; later calls in the same program still run, and Main blocks only after the finalized native outer result is ready. when is a guest-only pure synchronous predicate over immutable earlier successful-call facts from any resolved Fabric provider and is stripped before the host call. /fabric prewalk [task] defaults to in-place Main model switching plus a hidden same-session continuation; child trajectory mode is an opt-in setting. See <skill-dir>/references/agents.md.

Persistent actors may declare requires: ["provider.action", { ref: "provider.optional", optional: true }]. Each run records and verifies a closed-world descriptor commitment; missing required refs fail the activation instead of widening authority.

Agent requests and persistent actors accept runner: "pi" | "claude". Pi is the default and is required for recursive: true, rlm.query(), and actors that must call Fabric or mesh APIs themselves. Claude invokes the official claude -p harness; it supports mapped Claude Code tools and host-managed persistent actors, but not recursive/direct Fabric APIs. Use agents.models({ runner: "claude" }) for runtime-enumerated claude/<value> model keys.

Omit timeoutMs for agents and actors unless requesting longer than the configured agents.timeoutMs (60 minutes by default). Per-call values below the configured default are ignored.