These tools are for helper services, build steps, and supporting automation. They are not for running the target binary under debugger control.
run_command and spawn_process intentionally guard against some bad patterns, including using them to run a target ELF from /workspace or wrapping python -c instead of using the Python tool family.
Returned shape
All tools on this page return JSON-formatted strings. Parse the payload if your client does not already coerce it into an object.
run_command
Use for short-lived shell commands such as compiles and helper scripts.
{"tool":"run_command","arguments":{"command":"gcc -g vuln.c -o chal","cwd":"/workspace","timeout":30.0}}
Background helpers
| Tool | Use it for | Important fields |
|---|
spawn_process | start a long-running helper process | pid, stdout_path, stderr_path, process_dir |
get_process | inspect one tracked background process | running status plus live or final output |
kill_process | stop a tracked process | signal defaults to 15 |
list_processes | inspect all tracked helpers | lightweight running-process summary |
{"tool":"spawn_process","arguments":{"command":"python3 -m http.server 8000","cwd":"/workspace"}}
{"tool":"get_process","arguments":{"pid":12345}}
{"tool":"kill_process","arguments":{"pid":12345,"signal":15}}
{"tool":"list_processes","arguments":{}}
What gets tracked
- stdout and stderr are written to log files under a server-managed process directory
get_process returns live output for tracked running processes when availablekill_process keeps the entry cached long enough for get_process to read outputs afterward
Use Build and Helper Processes for workflow guidance. 
