diff --git a/src/pineagents/agents/tools/__init__.py b/src/pineagents/agents/tools/__init__.py
index 0121495..9b72c7b 100644
--- a/src/pineagents/agents/tools/__init__.py
+++ b/src/pineagents/agents/tools/__init__.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ from .file_io import (  # noqa: E402
     write_file,
     edit_file,
     append_file,
+    list_directory,
 )
 from .file_search import grep_search, glob_search  # noqa: E402
 from .shell import execute_shell_command  # noqa: E402
diff --git a/src/pineagents/agents/tools/file_io.py b/src/pineagents/agents/tools/file_io.py
index d8e90a0..6f45a1f 100644
--- a/src/pineagents/agents/tools/file_io.py
+++ b/src/pineagents/agents/tools/file_io.py
@@ -527,3 +527,136 @@ async def append_file(
                 ),
             ],
         )
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# list_directory
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# Entries the file browser and this tool agree are never worth surfacing to
+# the model (mirrors upstream qwenpaw.services.workspace_files._SKIPPED_NAMES).
+_LIST_DIRECTORY_SKIPPED_NAMES = frozenset(
+    {
+        ".git",
+        ".hypothesis",
+        ".mypy_cache",
+        ".pytest_cache",
+        ".ruff_cache",
+        ".venv",
+        "__pycache__",
+        "node_modules",
+    },
+)
+
+# Hard cap so a huge directory never floods the model's context. The tool
+# reports the count of omitted entries so the model can ask for a subtree.
+_LIST_DIRECTORY_MAX_ENTRIES = 200
+
+
+@tool_descriptor(
+    requires_sandbox=("file_read",),
+    async_execution=True,
+    tool_type="file",
+    target_param="file_path",
+    policy_name="ListDirectory",
+    default_policy="allow",
+    policy_reason="Read-only directory listing (global)",
+    ui_description="List directory contents",
+    ui_icon="📁",
+)
+async def list_directory(
+    file_path: str = ".",
+    max_entries: int = _LIST_DIRECTORY_MAX_ENTRIES,
+) -> ToolChunk:
+    """List the immediate children of a directory.
+
+    Use this to discover what a directory contains before reading or
+    editing files in it. Returns one line per entry, directories first,
+    each prefixed with ``D`` (directory) or ``F`` (file) plus the file
+    size in bytes.
+
+    Args:
+        file_path (`str`):
+            Directory to list. An absolute path is used as-is; a
+            relative path resolves from the agent workspace. A trailing
+            ``/`` or ``\\`` is allowed.
+        max_entries (`int`, optional):
+            Maximum number of entries to return (default 200). The tool
+            reports how many entries were omitted so you can drill into
+            a subtree instead of requesting a bigger page.
+    """
+    try:
+        resolved = Path(_resolve_file_path(file_path))
+    except Exception as exc:  # pragma: no cover - defensive
+        return ToolChunk(
+            is_last=True,
+            state=ToolResultState.ERROR,
+            content=[
+                TextBlock(
+                    type="text",
+                    text=f"Error: Failed to resolve directory {file_path!r}: {exc}",
+                ),
+            ],
+        )
+
+    if not resolved.exists():
+        return ToolChunk(
+            is_last=True,
+            state=ToolResultState.ERROR,
+            content=[
+                TextBlock(
+                    type="text",
+                    text=f"Error: The directory {resolved} does not exist.",
+                ),
+            ],
+        )
+    if not resolved.is_dir():
+        return ToolChunk(
+            is_last=True,
+            state=ToolResultState.ERROR,
+            content=[
+                TextBlock(
+                    type="text",
+                    text=f"Error: The path {resolved} is not a directory.",
+                ),
+            ],
+        )
+
+    limit = min(max(1, int(max_entries)), 500)
+
+    entries: list[tuple[str, str, int]] = []  # (kind, name, size)
+    with os.scandir(resolved) as scanner:
+        for entry in scanner:
+            name = entry.name
+            if name.startswith(".") or name in _LIST_DIRECTORY_SKIPPED_NAMES:
+                continue
+            try:
+                is_dir = entry.is_dir(follow_symlinks=False)
+                size = 0 if is_dir else entry.stat(follow_symlinks=False).st_size
+            except OSError:
+                # Broken symlink / permission — still surface the name so the
+                # model knows it exists, marked as a file with unknown size.
+                is_dir = False
+                size = -1
+            entries.append(("D" if is_dir else "F", name, size))
+
+    entries.sort(key=lambda item: (item[0] != "D", item[2], item[1]))
+
+    omitted = max(0, len(entries) - limit)
+    visible = entries[:limit]
+
+    lines = [f"{resolved}/ — {len(entries)} entries"]
+    for kind, name, size in visible:
+        if kind == "D":
+            lines.append(f"D  {name}/")
+        else:
+            size_str = f"{size} B" if size >= 0 else "?"
+            lines.append(f"F  {name}  {size_str}")
+    if omitted:
+        lines.append(f"(… {omitted} more entries omitted; list a subdirectory to drill in)")
+
+    return ToolChunk(
+        is_last=True,
+        state=ToolResultState.SUCCESS,
+        content=[TextBlock(type="text", text="\n".join(lines))],
+    )