[READ] List virtual machines with optional filtering, sorting, and field selection.

Returns a dict: {total, mode, vms, hint}. Each VM entry includes a folder_path field showing the vCenter inventory folder path (e.g. /Colocation/Colo - ISER).

Auto-compact: when no limit/fields are set and inventory exceeds 50 VMs, returns compact fields (name, power_state, cpu, memory_mb, folder_path) to keep context manageable. Set limit or fields to override.

Args: target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted. limit: Max number of VMs to return (None = all). sort_by: Sort field: "name" | "cpu" | "memory_mb" | "power_state" | "folder_path". power_state: Filter by power state: "poweredOn" | "poweredOff" | "suspended". fields: Return only these fields (None = auto-select based on inventory size). Available: name, power_state, cpu, memory_mb, guest_os, ip_address, host, uuid, tools_status, folder_path. folder_filter: Case-insensitive substring match against folder_path. Example: folder_filter="Colocation" returns VMs anywhere under a Colocation folder, including nested subfolders.

[READ] List ESXi hosts with CPU cores, memory, version, VM count, and uptime.

Args: target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted. limit: Max number of hosts to return (None = all).

[READ] List datastores with capacity, free space, type, and VM count.

Args: target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted. limit: Max number of datastores to return (None = all).

[READ] List clusters with host count, DRS/HA status, and resource totals.

Args: target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted. limit: Max number of clusters to return (None = all).

[READ] Get active/triggered alarms across the VMware inventory.

Each alarm includes suggested_actions with ready-to-use hints pointing to the correct companion skill and tool for remediation.

Args: target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted. limit: Max number of alarms to return (None = all). Use when many alarms are active.

[READ] Get recent vCenter/ESXi events filtered by severity.

Args: hours: How many hours back to query (default 24). severity: Minimum severity level: "critical", "warning", or "info". target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted.

[READ] Get detailed information about a specific VM (CPU, memory, disks, NICs, snapshots).

Args: vm_name: Exact name of the virtual machine. target: Optional vCenter/ESXi target name from config. Uses default if omitted.