Tool Hub

The Tool Hub is a public marketplace where Cognova users can publish, discover, and install tools built by the community. Browse tools at /tools.

Overview

Tools extend what agents can do — calling APIs, referencing documentation, or running code. The Tool Hub lets you share your tools with other users and install tools others have built, so you don't have to build everything from scratch.

Key Concepts

Browsing & Installing

The Tool Hub is publicly accessible — anyone can browse tools without signing in. To install a tool, you need a Cognova account and an active workspace.

Browsing

Visit /tools to browse the catalog. You can:

• Search by tool name
• Filter by category (API, Data, Productivity, Code, Communication)
• Sort by popularity, recency, or alphabetically

Each tool card shows the name, description, type (HTTP, Knowledge, or Sandbox), category, install count, and author.

Installing a Tool

1. Click on a tool to view its detail page
2. Read the documentation — especially the setup requirements
3. Click Install to Workspace
4. If the tool references secrets (API keys, tokens), configure them in Settings > Secrets
5. The tool appears in your Dashboard > Tools list, ready to attach to agents

Secrets & Configuration

Many tools reference workspace secrets using the {{secret:KEY}} pattern. After installing, check the tool's documentation for which secrets you need to configure. For example, Google Workspace tools require:

• GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID
• GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET
• GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN

Add these in Settings > Secrets before using the tool.

Publishing Tools

You can publish any non-built-in tool from your workspace to the Tool Hub. Published tools are visible to all Cognova users.

From the Dashboard

1. Go to Dashboard > Tools
2. Click the share icon on any tool card, or open the tool detail page and click Publish to Hub
3. Fill in the publish form:
   • URL Slug — the URL-friendly identifier (e.g., google-calendar)
   • Category — choose the best fit from the predefined list
   • Documentation — setup instructions, required secrets, usage examples (required, min 50 characters, markdown supported)
4. Click Publish

Writing Good Documentation

Documentation is required when publishing. Good docs should include:

• Setup instructions — what the user needs to configure before the tool works (API keys, OAuth setup, account creation)
• Required secrets — list every workspace secret the tool references, with instructions for obtaining the values
• Actions/capabilities — what the tool can do, with parameter tables
• Example prompts — show users how to invoke the tool through their agents

Versioning

When you publish a tool, it gets a version number (default: 1.0.0). If you update your local tool and want to push changes to the hub:

1. Open the tool detail page
2. Update the tool definition as needed
3. Use the hub update endpoint to publish a new version

Workspaces that installed your tool will see an update available indicator when your hub version differs from their installed version.

Important: Secret Safety

Before publishing, verify your tool definition does not contain actual secret values. Use {{secret:KEY}} placeholders instead. The publish form shows a warning as a reminder.

Hub tools are publicly visible — including their full definition (URLs, code, headers). This transparency helps installers understand exactly what a tool does, but means you must never embed credentials directly.

Tool Types on the Hub

All three tool types can be published to the hub:

HTTP Tools

Best for simple API integrations — a single endpoint with input mapping and response extraction.

• Use {{input.fieldName}} for dynamic input
• Use {{secret:KEY}} for authentication headers and API keys
• Define responseTransform to extract relevant data from API responses

Knowledge Tools

Static reference content that agents can query. Useful for domain-specific documentation, glossaries, or context that agents need to answer questions.

E2B Sandbox Tools

The most powerful type. Run Python or JavaScript in a secure sandbox with npm/pip packages. Best for:

• Multi-action tools — route multiple operations through a single tool via an action parameter
• Complex APIs — APIs requiring OAuth, token refresh, or multi-step flows
• Data processing — transform, calculate, or analyze data
• External services — Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub, databases

Sandbox tools can reference workspace secrets via process.env.VAR_NAME (JavaScript) or os.environ (Python). Cognova automatically resolves matching workspace secrets and injects them into the sandbox environment.

Use Cases

API Integrations

Connect agents to external services: weather APIs, stock data, CRM systems, project management tools.

Google Workspace

Calendar, Gmail, and Drive tools let agents manage your schedule, read and send emails, and browse documents.

Developer Tools

GitHub integration, CI/CD status checks, log analysis, database queries.

Communication

Send Slack messages, post to Discord, trigger webhooks, manage notifications.

Data & Analytics

Query databases, process CSV files, generate reports, calculate metrics.

FAQ

Can I unpublish a tool?

Yes. From your dashboard or via the API, you can unpublish (soft-remove) a tool at any time. Workspaces that already installed it keep their copy, but the tool disappears from the public catalog.

Can I update a published tool?

Yes. You can update the name, description, documentation, definition, and version of a published tool. Existing installations are not affected — users choose when to update.

Who can see my published tools?

Everyone. The Tool Hub is public. Your author name and profile image are displayed alongside your tools.

Are there limits on publishing?

No hard limits currently. Publishing requires an authenticated Cognova account with at least one workspace.

What if a tool stops working?

If an external API changes or breaks, update your tool definition and bump the version. Installers will see the update available badge.