[DOCS] Native macOS/Linux builds still document `Glob` and `Grep` as separate tools

Open 💬 4 comments Opened Apr 22, 2026 by coygeek

Documentation Type

Incorrect/outdated documentation

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference

Section/Topic

Built-in tools table and search-tool availability/platform behavior

Current Documentation

The docs currently say:

| Bash | Executes shell commands in your environment. See [Bash tool behavior](#bash-tool-behavior) | | Glob | Finds files based on pattern matching | | Grep | Searches for patterns in file contents |

The SDK docs also still describe Glob and Grep as direct built-in tools:

| Glob | Find files by pattern (**/*.ts, src/**/*.py) | | Grep | Search file contents with regex |

No code.claude.com page currently documents the native macOS/Linux bfs / ugrep search behavior.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Changelog v2.1.117 says native macOS and Linux builds replace the separate Glob and Grep tools with embedded bfs and ugrep exposed through the Bash tool, while Windows and npm-installed builds stay unchanged.

The current docs still present Glob and Grep as normal built-in tools without any platform note, so they describe outdated behavior for native macOS/Linux builds.

This is especially misleading in pages that describe available tools, permissioning, or SDK allowedTools examples, because users on native macOS/Linux builds need to understand that search now routes through Bash instead of separate Glob/Grep tool calls.

Suggested Improvement

Update the tools documentation to add an explicit platform-availability note for search tools:

  • Native macOS/Linux builds: file/content search uses embedded bfs and ugrep through the Bash tool rather than separate Glob / Grep tool calls
  • Windows and npm-installed builds: existing Glob / Grep behavior remains unchanged

Then audit the pages that list built-in tools or show allowedTools examples so they either:

  • reflect the platform split directly, or
  • link back to a single authoritative availability note in tools-reference

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Context |
|------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference | Built-in tools table still lists Glob and Grep as separate tools with no native-build caveat |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/how-claude-code-works | Search capabilities are still described generically as pattern/file-content search |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview | Built-in tools table and allowedTools: ["Read", "Glob", "Grep"] example assume direct Glob/Grep availability |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/agent-loop | Built-in tools and permission examples still describe Glob/Grep as direct search tools |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/typescript | SDK reference still defines Glob and Grep tool inputs as standard built-in tools |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/python | SDK reference still defines Glob and Grep input/output schemas |

Total scope: 6 pages affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.117

Exact changelog entry: Native builds on macOS and Linux: the Glob and Grep tools are replaced by embedded bfs and ugrep available through the Bash tool — faster searches without a separate tool round-trip (Windows and npm-installed builds unchanged)

View original on GitHub ↗

This issue has 4 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗