---
title: "Tools"
canonical: https://trickest.com/docs/key-concepts/building-blocks/tools
description: "Tool nodes as pre-packaged command-line programs in workflows."
---

# Tools

## Overview

On this page you will learn what tool nodes are in Trickest, how they work, and how they relate to other building blocks and the Library.

## What is a Tool Node

A tool node runs a command-line tool as one step in your workflow. Each tool has its own Docker image with the tool and its dependencies already installed. You do not download or install the tool yourself. Tool nodes accept **inputs** (parameters) such as string, file, folder, and boolean values, and produce **file** and **folder** outputs. The platform builds the execution command from the inputs you configure, so you work with human-readable parameters instead of raw command-line flags.

## Inspect a Tool in the Library

Open a tool in the **Library** to review what it does and which parameters it accepts. Review the parameter names and types before you configure the tool in a workflow.

For example, Subfinder exposes these Boolean inputs. Set an input to `true` to enable its flag.

| Input | Flag | When enabled |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `all` | `-all` | Use all enumeration sources. This can take longer. |
| `json` | `-json` | Write one JSON object per line (JSONL). |
| `ip` | `-ip` | Include host IP addresses when the tool also checks discovered hosts (active enumeration). |

These are examples, not the complete parameter list. Available inputs depend on the tool and its version.

## Why Tools Exist

Tools are the most common node type in workflows. They run specific security processes and tasks (e.g. scanning, fuzzing, enumeration) in a standardized way. Trickest removes the usual friction: no local install, no dependency or OS mismatch. You choose a tool from the Library or import your own, configure its parameters via node inputs, and the platform runs it in a repeatable containerized environment. Outputs can feed the next node in the workflow.

## How It Works

Each tool defines a set of parameters (required and optional). These parameters become **node inputs**. You provide values by connecting outputs from other nodes (e.g. a file from a previous tool or script) or by setting them explicitly (e.g. a target URL as a string, a wordlist as a file). The platform generates the final command from those inputs and executes it inside the tool’s container. The tool writes its results to the node’s output; file and folder outputs are then available to downstream nodes. Tools are designed to be chained: one tool’s output often becomes another tool’s input.

## How It Relates

* **Building blocks:** Tools are one of the three node types (scripts, tools, modules). See [Introduction](/docs/key-concepts/building-blocks/introduction).
* **Scripts:** Scripts are code you write or reuse; tools are pre-packaged CLI programs. Both have defined inputs and outputs and can be chained. Scripts are often used to parse or transform tool output for the next tool.
* **Modules:** Modules are reusable subgraphs of nodes; a tool is a single node. You can use tool nodes inside a module.
* **Workflows:** Tools run as nodes in a workflow. They receive data from upstream nodes and pass results downstream. See [Workflows](/docs/key-concepts/workflows).

## Common Patterns

* Chaining tools so the file or folder output of one tool (e.g. subdomain enumeration) is the input of another (e.g. port scanning or HTTP probing)
* Using string inputs for targets, URLs, or options and file inputs for wordlists, configs, or target lists
* Combining tools with script nodes to parse, filter, or reshape output between steps
* Reusing tools from the Library and configuring only the parameters your workflow needs

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Building and Debugging a Workflow" icon="code" href="/docs/using-the-app/workflow-and-executions/building-and-debugging-a-workflow">
    Add tool nodes, configure parameters, and connect inputs and outputs.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Using Workflows From the Library" icon="book" href="/docs/using-the-app/workflow-and-executions/using-workflows-from-the-library">
    Copy a workflow from the Library into your workspace.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

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_Markdown source of https://trickest.com/docs/key-concepts/building-blocks/tools._