probe-documentation-before-command-execution

name	probe-documentation-before-command-execution
description	Use when exploring tool or system capabilities. Always check built-in help/docs (--help, -h, README) before using exec commands to discover functionality.
category	automation

Probe Documentation Before Executing Discovery Commands

When you need to understand what tools, commands, or capabilities are available, consult documentation first.

Step-by-step:

1. Check if the tool has --help or -h: openclaw tools --help
2. Look for README or docs: ls *.md in relevant directories
3. Only if docs are insufficient, use targeted exec calls
4. Avoid multiple consecutive exec calls for discovery

Anti-pattern: Running multiple exec calls like openclaw tools list | grep then openclaw --help | grep then ls .env* in sequence without consulting docs first. Each exec call is expensive and may expose file contents unnecessarily.

Better pattern: bash openclaw tools --help # Get overview

Then if specific tool needed:

openclaw tools feishu --help

Anti-pattern: Blind grep through output before understanding the structure.