> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.githits.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Experimental tools

> Enable experimental Research in the CLI and local MCP server.

Research is disabled and hidden from CLI help by default. Its contract may change.

| MCP tool | CLI command | Purpose |
| - | - | - |
| `research` | `npx githits@latest research` (`ask` alias) | Answer one question about a public package or repository with a grounded, source-cited answer and follow-up threads. |

## Availability

CLI and MCP opt-in requires the `githits` CLI or its local stdio server. Hosted MCP, plugin installs, Cursor's remote setup, and the public `@githits/mcp` server API do not expose these opt-ins.

## Enable the tools

Edit `config.toml` for the account running GitHits:

| Platform | Path |
| - | - |
| macOS / Linux | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/githits/config.toml`, or `~/.config/githits/config.toml` when `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` is unset |
| Windows | `%APPDATA%\githits\config.toml` |

Add the `[experimental]` section:

```toml ~/.config/githits/config.toml theme={null}
[experimental]
tools = true
```

Use the boolean `true`, not a quoted string. Restart the agent to reload local MCP; the CLI reads the setting on each invocation.

Confirm the CLI opt-in:

```bash theme={null}
npx githits@latest --help
npx githits@latest research --help
```

Root help should list `research|ask`. If an explicit experimental command is still disabled, the error names the config path GitHits read.

## research: source-cited answers about a package or repository

<span id="output" />

<span id="target-clarification" />

See [Research](/tools/research) for parameters, output, and follow-up questions.

## Stable tools

<span id="resolve_target-rank-canonical-targets-for-a-fuzzy-name" />

<span id="malicious-content-gating" />

<span id="code_diff-compare-package-versions-or-repository-refs" />

[`resolve_target` and `githits resolve`](/tools/target-resolution) are available by default from 0.27.0. [`code_diff` and `githits code diff`](/tools/code-navigation#code-diff) are available by default from 0.26.0. Neither requires experimental opt-in. Hosted availability depends on the deployed MCP package version.

## Disable the tools

Set `tools = false` or remove the `[experimental]` section, then restart the coding agent. The `research` command and `ask` alias become hidden and unavailable, and newly started local MCP servers omit `research`.


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