The tool database utility enables the user to store additional information about the tools listed in the linuxcnc tool.tbl file. This extra information is kept in a SQLITE database. On startup, the program checks if the database exists and creates one if needed. If the database exists, it is updated with any new information in the tool.tbl file. If the tool.tbl contains tools not in the database, they are added. If the database contains tools not in the tool.tbl, they are deleted.
The tool database file in the config directory is called tool_database.db. It is advised to maintain regular backups of this file. If it becomes lost or corrupted, all information the user has entered may be lost and will have to be re-entered in a new database.