Skip to content
Academy
0/15

Routes
On this page

Build with Milpa · Unit 3 of 4

Enable tools for agents

The basic skeleton doesn't install Tool Runtime or MCP Server. agent:enable adds those capabilities explicitly to keep the base host small.

Beginner to intermediate30 min

By the end, you'll be able to

  • Understand the agent-ready opt-in
  • Register and inspect a tool

Understand

The basic skeleton doesn't install Tool Runtime or MCP Server. agent:enable adds those capabilities explicitly to keep the base host small.

A tool needs a schema, authorization and auditing; exposing a function to the model isn't enough to turn it into a governed tool.

See

Compare the two doors

The visualization explains the shared pipeline; it doesn't promise a generic CLI runner that the skeleton doesn't offer.

Open artifact

Do

Run the practice in your checkout and keep the output as evidence.

terminal
$php bin/coa agent:enable
$php bin/coa make:tool CatalogPlugin SearchCatalog
$php bin/coa inspect:tools
Enable and check tools

Verify

Show that you can apply the unit. Progress only advances once you pass the assessment.

Criteria assessed

  • agent:enable installs Tool Runtime and MCP Server.
  • inspect:tools shows the registered tool.

Graded assessment

Solve the 3 scenarios. This unit requires 3 of 3 correct answers.

0 attempts
Question 1 of 3A team starts from the basic skeleton and decides to expose tools over MCP. Which action preserves the opt-in nature of that surface?
Question 2 of 3make:tool wrote SearchCatalog inside CatalogPlugin. Which check demonstrates that the kernel registered it on the agent-ready surface?
Question 3 of 3A PR exposes DeleteCatalog to the model with a name and an invocable method, but with no input contract, authorization policy or auditable trail. What is the correct assessment?

Grading validates answers in this browser; it doesn't certify identity.

Primary sources

Content verified: 2026-07-10