shell — Shell exec

Execute shell commands and capture stdout and stderr. Enable with "shell" in your tools array.

WarningThe shell tool can run arbitrary commands. Only enable it when your task genuinely requires it, and always review the plan with testy-claw plan before running.

Functions

Function	Description
shell.exec(cmd)	Run a command, return { stdout, stderr, exitCode }
shell.exec(cmd, { cwd })	Run in a specific working directory
shell.exec(cmd, { env })	Run with extra environment variables
shell.exec(cmd, { timeout })	Override the per-command timeout

Example

terminal

testy-claw run "install dependencies and run the build"

  ✓ shell.exec("npm install")   → added 142 packages
  ✓ shell.exec("npm run build") → dist/ created (12 files)
  ✓ Done in 18.4s

Restricting commands

You can whitelist allowed commands in your config to prevent the agent from running unexpected shell operations.

claw.config.ts

export default defineConfig({
  tools: ["fs", "shell"],
  shellAllowList: ["npm", "npx", "node", "git"],
  // Any command not in this list will be blocked
});