1. Types of Tools
Common tool categories include: Information retrieval (web search, database queries), Actions (send email, create calendar event), Computation (run code, calculate), and Integration (API calls to external services).
2. Designing Effective Tools
Good tools have clear names, detailed descriptions, well-defined parameters, and predictable outputs. The language model uses the description to decide when to call a tool, so clarity is crucial.
3. Tool Orchestration Patterns
Advanced agents use multiple tools together. Common patterns include: sequential (tool A then B), parallel (A and B simultaneously), conditional (if X then tool A, else tool B), and recursive (tool A calls tool B which calls A).
Wrap-up
Start with a small set of well-designed tools and expand based on actual agent usage patterns. Monitor which tools are used most and refine their implementations.