## Why
Follow-up to #16379.
`codex-rs/core/src/tools/spec.rs` and the corresponding handlers still
owned several pure tool-definition helpers even though they do not need
`codex-core` runtime state. Keeping that spec-only logic in `codex-core`
keeps the crate boundary blurry and works against the guidance in
`AGENTS.md` to keep shared tooling out of `codex-core` when possible.
This change takes another step toward a dedicated `codex-tools` crate by
moving more metadata and schema-building code behind the `codex-tools`
API while leaving the actual tool execution paths in `codex-core`.
## What Changed
- Added `codex-rs/tools/src/apply_patch_tool.rs` to own
`ApplyPatchToolArgs`, the freeform/json `apply_patch` tool specs, and
the moved `tool_apply_patch.lark` grammar.
- Updated `codex-rs/tools/BUILD.bazel` so Bazel exposes the moved
grammar file to `codex-tools`.
- Moved the `request_user_input` availability and description helpers
into `codex-rs/tools/src/request_user_input_tool.rs`, with the related
unit tests moved alongside that business logic.
- Moved `request_permissions_tool_description()` into
`codex-rs/tools/src/local_tool.rs`.
- Rewired `codex-rs/core/src/tools/spec.rs`,
`codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/apply_patch.rs`, and
`codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/request_user_input.rs` to consume the
new `codex-tools` exports instead of local helper code.
- Removed the now-redundant helper implementations and tests from
`codex-core`, plus a couple of stale `client_common` re-exports that
became unused after the move.
## Testing
- `cargo test -p codex-tools`
- `cargo test -p codex-core tools::spec::tests`
- `cargo test -p codex-core tools::handlers::apply_patch::tests`
## Why
`core/src/tools/spec.rs` still bundled a set of pure local-host tool
builders with the orchestration that actually decides when those tools
are exposed and which handlers back them. That made `codex-core`
responsible for JSON/tool-shape construction that does not depend on
session state, and it kept the `codex-tools` migration from taking a
meaningfully larger bite out of `spec.rs`.
This PR moves that reusable spec-building layer into `codex-tools` while
leaving feature gating, handler registration, and runtime-coupled
descriptions in `codex-core`.
## What changed
- added `codex-rs/tools/src/local_tool.rs` for the pure builders for
`exec_command`, `write_stdin`, `shell`, `shell_command`, and
`request_permissions`
- added `codex-rs/tools/src/view_image.rs` for the `view_image` tool
spec and output schema so the extracted modules stay right-sized
- rewired `codex-rs/core/src/tools/spec.rs` to call those extracted
builders instead of constructing these specs inline
- kept the `request_permissions` description source in `codex-core`,
with `codex-tools` taking the description as input so the crate boundary
does not grow a dependency on handler/runtime code
- moved the direct constructor coverage for this slice from
`codex-rs/core/src/tools/spec_tests.rs` into
`codex-rs/tools/src/local_tool_tests.rs` and
`codex-rs/tools/src/view_image_tests.rs`
- updated `codex-rs/tools/README.md` to reflect that `codex-tools` now
owns this local-host spec layer
## Test plan
- `CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codex-tools-local-host cargo test -p
codex-tools`
- `CARGO_TARGET_DIR=/tmp/codex-core-local-tools cargo test -p codex-core
--lib tools::spec::`
- `just argument-comment-lint`
## References
- #15923
- #15928
- #15944
- #15953
- #16031
- #16047
- #16129
- #16132
Vivian Fang ·
Michael Bolin ·