Tools.

Nilux does its work through tools: reading a file, searching the code, changing a file, running a command. You do not call tools yourself. You describe the task, and Nilux chooses which tools to use and in what order. Each step appears as a line in the conversation, so you can see what it did.

Files are read and changed, and commands run, on your computer, in your project folder. What is sent to the Nilux service and what stays with you is explained on the Security page.

Reading and searching

• Read: reads a file. Besides code, it understands PDFs, Word and Excel files, Jupyter notebooks and images. See Files and images.
• Search: finds files by name and searches inside them. Folders such as node_modules and build output are skipped unless Nilux needs to look there.

Changing files

• Write creates a file; Update changes part of one. Both show you the change before it is made, unless your permission mode allows it. (In permission rules, hooks and agent files, the editing tool is called Edit.)
• Nilux always reads a file before changing it, so it does not overwrite work it has not seen.
• Notes and test scripts Nilux makes for itself go into a separate scratch folder outside your project, marked Scratch in the conversation, so they do not clutter your repository.

Running commands

• Bash runs commands in your terminal's shell: tests, builds, git, package managers. Before each command, Nilux writes why it wants to run it and whether it changes anything.
• A long command can keep running in the background while Nilux does something else. See Background work.

The web

• Nilux can search the web for up-to-date information: new library versions, error messages, documentation.
• It can read a web page at an address you give it, or one it found. Pages are fetched over the internet, so addresses that only work on your computer or network, such as localhost, cannot be read this way. The Browser plugin can open those.

Pictures

• Nilux can look at images you paste into the conversation, such as screenshots of an error or a design.
• It can also create images for you. See Files and images.

Planning and asking

• Todo list: for a larger task Nilux keeps a checklist and ticks items off as it goes. Ctrl+T shows or hides it.
• Question: when Nilux needs a decision, it asks with a few options to choose from, plus one where you type your own answer.
• Plan mode: Nilux works out a plan and shows it to you before changing anything. See Permission modes.

Helpers

• Agents: for big or parallel tasks Nilux hands parts of the work to helper agents. See Subagents.
• Skills: ready-made instructions for tasks you repeat. See Skills.
• Memory: facts about your project Nilux keeps between sessions. See Project memory.
• Past conversations: Nilux can look up what was said in earlier conversations in this project when you refer to them.

Your own tools

Connect databases, issue trackers, browsers and other services through MCP. Their tools appear next to the built-in ones, and Nilux uses them the same way. See MCP servers and Plugins.