> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.celigo.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.celigo.com/api/api-reference/exports-imports-and-tools.md).

# Exports, imports & tools

The processing steps that read, write, and transform records. Flows, APIs, AI agents, and MCP servers all reference these same resources, so a step you configure once can run in any of them.

Steps read from and write to [Data stores](/api/api-reference/data-stores.md); custom hook code lives under [Scripts & stacks](/api/api-reference/scripts-and-stacks.md).

| Resource                                                                                                | What it covers                                                                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Exports](https://developer.celigo.com/api/api-reference/exports-imports-and-tools/exports)             | The data source step. Reads records from a connection, including delta, webhook, and lookup patterns.     |
| [Imports](https://developer.celigo.com/api/api-reference/exports-imports-and-tools/imports)             | The data destination step. Writes records with mappings and upsert logic.                                 |
| [Tools](https://developer.celigo.com/api/api-reference/exports-imports-and-tools/tools)                 | Reusable processing units that encapsulate lookups, routing, and mapping behind an input/output contract. |
| [Async Helpers](https://developer.celigo.com/api/api-reference/exports-imports-and-tools/async-helpers) | Polling configurations for long-running export and import operations.                                     |