github / github/app

Extensions recieve toolArgs as a string rather than an object

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#3,014 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
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Description

### Short summary

_No response_

### Affected version or release

v1.1.10

### Installation context

downloaded from website, windows-x64

### What happened?

Hi devs, thanks for your hard work!
From my ai chat -
In `onPreToolUse` the host delivers `toolArgs` as a JSON-encoded *string*, but the SDK docs (`agent-author.md`, `examples.md`) show object access (`args.command`, `...input.toolArgs`) and the `.d.ts` types expose it as `unknown`/`JsonValue`. This means all documented object-style examples silently return nothing. Either deliver a parsed object or parse/normalize in the SDK and document the contract explicitly.

### Steps to reproduce

My extension requires this in order to function:

function toolTargets(toolName, args) {
if (!args) return [];
// The RPC layer delivers toolArgs as a JSON-encoded string; parse it to
// an object so we can inspect .path/.paths/.pattern.
if (typeof args === "string") {
try {
args = JSON.parse(args);
} catch {
return [];
}
}

### Expected behavior

I think args should be passed as objects, but at a minimum when the ai references the documents and then writes and extension, it should copy something that works correctly.

### Additional context

_No response_

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the onPreToolUse RPC path and the .d.ts types, then compare the documented contract in agent-author.md and examples.md with the string payload described for v1.1.10. Done means the host or SDK contract and documentation consistently explain and support the usable toolArgs shape, including the documented object-style access.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
api, documentation
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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