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Providing Context: Files, Folders & the Web

Give the agent exactly the context it needs: reference local files and directories directly in your prompt, or let Ante fetch what it needs from the web.

Using @ mentions​

Type @ followed by a file or directory path. Ante shows a search dropdown as you type — press Tab to autocomplete, then Enter to confirm.

Adding file context with @ mentions
  • @path/to/file.rs — embeds the full file contents into your message
  • @path/to/dir/ — embeds the directory tree listing

This ensures the agent sees exactly the code you're asking about, without guessing or searching.

tip

If you paste multiple file paths, Ante auto-prefixes them with @ for convenience. You can reference as many files as you need in a single prompt.

Pulling in web content​

Ante can search the web and fetch content from URLs, letting you pull in documentation, look up APIs, or research topics without leaving the terminal. Just ask naturally and Ante will use its web browsing tools to find what you need:

Ante performing a web search

The agent can:

  • Search the web for documentation, examples, and answers
  • Fetch a URL to read its contents directly (e.g., API docs, release notes, blog posts)
  • Summarize the results and integrate them into the conversation

This is particularly useful when you're working with an unfamiliar library or need to check the latest documentation for a tool or API.

note

Fetching a URL (WebFetch) is on by default. Full web search (WebSearch) runs through the provider's native search, so it is available only on a provider that supports it (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Grok, OpenRouter, Antix, or Ali Coding Plan). On those providers it is enabled automatically — no flag needed; on others it is not offered. See the Tool Reference.

tip

You can also pipe web content into Ante from the command line: curl https://example.com/docs | ante -p "summarize this".