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Tools

See also: Development · Using the tools · Extending Dédalo

A tool is an isolated block of code that extends a component, a section or an area with its own interface: transcription, export, import, the time machine, the ontology editor. A tool ships a server module, its own client JS/CSS, and a register.json that declares what it attaches to. Nothing about a tool is discovered by reflection — the framework scans an allowlisted directory once and dispatches through a fail-closed gate chain.

This directory is the developer documentation. For the curator-facing guides to each shipped tool, see Using the tools.

Build one

  • Creating new tools — the end-to-end tutorial: scaffold, register, authorize. Start here.
  • register.json reference — every field of the registration file, and the JSON Schema your editor can validate against.

The contracts the framework enforces

  • Tools server contract — what a tool's server module must export, how actions are keyed, and the ordered gate chain a request passes through.
  • Tools JS lifecycle — the client-side contract: the files, the constructor/prototype shape, and the lifecycle hooks.
  • Tools security model — what the framework guarantees for you, and what stays the tool author's responsibility.

Per-tool reference

  • Tools catalog — every tool shipped with Dédalo, grouped by purpose, each linking to its own reference page.