Agent Tools Are Getting Capability Switches

Fresh Codex, Hermes Agent, and Pi patches show agent projects narrowing when external skills, MCP tools, and package surfaces become visible.

Diagram Punk poster with Codex, Hermes, and Pi evidence cards pointing to a circled conclusion that tool surfaces are getting gates.

Diagram Punkcapability surfaces get switches before they become defaults.

repos openai/codex + 2 more evidence

7 source signals 3 repos 4 linked commits

Evidence: 4 linked commits / June 20, 2026 / Daily Edition

openai/codex merged commit 81b000421d on June 19, adding config switches for orchestrator-owned skills and Codex Apps MCP so hosts can disable those surfaces without turning off local skills or regular MCP servers.

Facts

Codex added [orchestrator.skills].enabled and [orchestrator.mcp].enabled, plus tests that hidden orchestrator skills and Codex Apps MCP tools no longer reach model turns.
NousResearch/hermes-agent added a large html-artifact skill bundle in commit 9362ce257, then reverted it the same day in 92451151c.
earendil-works/pi commit 0d89a333 added selective pi-ai and pi-agent base entrypoints so builders can import narrower package surfaces.

Evidence

The receipts are Codex's config schema and MCP exposure tests, Hermes Agent's add-and-revert skill commits, and Pi's package export plus new base.ts entrypoint files.

Context

For agent builders and workspace operators, the practical question is shifting from "can the agent use tools?" to "which capability surfaces are loaded, visible, and paid for before the task starts?"

Limits

These are independent patches, not a shared standard. Hermes's revert is also negative evidence: capability expansion can move too fast for a repo's own release and documentation surface.

Primary Evidence

Codex commit 81b000421d, "Add config toggles for orchestrator skills and MCP": https://github.com/openai/codex/commit/81b000421dc795062019f3737db6fac3fda16aa4

Evidence used: commit message and file list describing [orchestrator.skills].enabled, [orchestrator.mcp].enabled, config lock coverage, app-server skill gating, and Codex Apps MCP gating.

Codex config source: https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/codex-rs/config/src/config_toml.rs

Evidence used: public source for OrchestratorToml and OrchestratorFeatureToml configuration shapes.

Codex MCP connection manager source: https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/codex-rs/codex-mcp/src/connection_manager.rs

Evidence used: public source for MCP connection management and host-owned Codex Apps exposure plumbing.

Hermes Agent add commit 9362ce257: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/commit/9362ce2575e00f5a795285b74e79d54c02e1326c

Evidence used: public commit adding the unified html-artifact skill and removing overlapping creative skills.

Hermes Agent revert commit 92451151c: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/commit/92451151c6429e1d2774c5e7f43269ebcf8c64aa

Evidence used: same-day public revert of the html-artifact skill expansion.

Pi commit 0d89a333: https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/commit/0d89a333739d35254cc62e5579a8cf526c096550

Evidence used: public commit adding selective Pi AI and agent base entrypoints, package exports, import rewrites, and tests.

Pi AI package metadata: https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/ai/package.json

Evidence used: public package exports showing ./base and provider-specific entrypoints.

Evidence Limits

These changes do not prove a shared standard, shared roadmap, or coordination between projects.

Hermes's revert means the skill-bundle evidence should be read as capability-surface pressure and release caution, not as a shipped stable feature.

Pi's package entrypoints narrow import surfaces; they do not create sandboxing or runtime permission boundaries.

Agent Tools Are Getting Capability Switches

Facts

Evidence

Context

Limits

Receipts below the story

Reporter Notes

Primary Evidence

Evidence Limits

Send a note to the desk

Agent Tools Are Getting Capability Switches

Facts

Evidence

Context

Limits

Receipts below the story

Reporter Notes

Primary Evidence

Evidence Limits

Atlas Context

Tool Calls: Contract, Authorization, Execution

Send a note to the desk

Same Edition

Fred Schott Split Pi's Agent Package Surface