Managing Your Local Environment with TOOLS.md

I often find myself digging through configuration files trying to remember which IP belongs to which server. It gets even worse when I want to share a tool with someone else but realize my private device names and local setup details are hardcoded into the logic.

It is frustrating to scrub personal data every time you want to update a script. You want your tools to stay generic and your environment details to stay private. Keeping these pieces separate makes your setup much easier to manage.

What You’ll Need

• A local environment with specific hardware or network configurations.
• A TOOLS.md file in your project directory.

Quick Start

Skills define how your tools work, but TOOLS.md is for your specific setup. This file acts as your personal cheat sheet for everything unique to your environment.

To get started, create a TOOLS.md file and add your local details. Use this format to keep track of your hardware and aliases:

### Cameras

- living-room → Main area, 180° wide angle
- front-door → Entrance, motion-triggered

### SSH

- home-server → 192.168.1.100, user: admin

### TTS

- Preferred voice: "Nova" (warm, slightly British)
- Default speaker: Kitchen HomePod

You can include any environment-specific information here, such as:

• Camera names and locations
• SSH hosts and aliases
• Preferred voices for TTS
• Speaker and room names
• Device nicknames
• Any other local specifics

Troubleshooting

Leaking infrastructure details when sharing If you keep your setup details inside your skill files, you might accidentally share your IP addresses or device names. Keep these in TOOLS.md so you can share the skill logic without exposing your network.

Losing notes during skill updates Updating a skill can often overwrite your custom configurations. By separating them, you can update the skill logic and your notes will remain untouched.

What’s Next

• Read about Skills to see how they use these notes.

Need help mapping your specific devices? Ask the AI Setup Assistant.