Hmbown/CodeWhale · error · anyhow::Error

Tool {name} is not active for this sub-agent

Error message

Tool {name} is not active for this sub-agent

What it means

Activation guard in execute_from_surface: the tool exists in the catalog and is not deferred, but its name is absent from request_active_names — the per-request activated set. The child uses bounded tool activation, so a catalog tool that was never activated (or was evicted) cannot execute directly.

Source

Thrown at crates/tui/src/tools/subagent/mod.rs:14927

        }

        let Some(deferred) = surface
            .catalog
            .iter()
            .find(|tool| tool.name == name)
            .map(|tool| tool.defer_loading.unwrap_or(false))
        else {
            return Err(anyhow!(
                "Tool {name} is not in this child's policy-filtered catalog"
            ));
        };
        if deferred && !request_active_names.contains(name) {
            return surface
                .hydrate(name)
                .map(|content| RichToolResult::plain(ToolResult::success(content)));
        }
        if !request_active_names.contains(name) {
            return Err(anyhow!("Tool {name} is not active for this sub-agent"));
        }
        let result = self.execute_full(agent_id, tool_id, name, input).await;
        if deferred && result.is_ok() {
            touch_cached_tool_after_execution(
                &surface.catalog,
                &mut surface.active_names,
                &mut surface.cache,
                name,
            );
        }
        result
    }
}

fn is_unbounded_shell_run(name: &str, input: &Value) -> bool {
    canonical_action_alias(name, input) == "exec_shell"
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 0c42157ee5)

Solutions

1. Activate the tool first via tool_search/hydration in the same request
2. Narrow the active tool set so the needed tool is not evicted
3. Retry the call after successful activation

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/tui/src/tools/subagent/mod.rs:14927 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of Hmbown/CodeWhale@0c42157ee5 (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9e472b73f8e6f204. Report an issue: GitHub.