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AI Tools Overview

Estimated Time: 2 minutes

Tools extend your AI agents with powerful capabilities to interact with external systems, retrieve information, and perform actions beyond generating text responses.

What Are AI Tools?​

AI tools allow your agents to:

  • Connect to External APIs - Make HTTP requests to fetch real-time data or trigger actions
  • Search Through Documents - Find relevant information from uploaded files using vector search
  • Perform Complex Operations - Execute multi-step workflows combining data retrieval and processing

Think of tools as giving your AI agent "superpowers" to access information and perform tasks that go beyond its training data.

Available Tool Types​

Function Calling​

Connect your AI agents to external APIs and services.

Use Cases:

  • Data Collection - Capture leads, survey responses, or user feedback
  • Action Triggers - Send emails, create tickets, or update databases
  • Information Retrieval - Fetch order status, weather data, or account details

How it works: Your agent calls predefined functions with parameters, which make HTTP requests to your endpoints.

Learn more: Function Calling Guide →

File Search (RAG)​

Enable your agents to search through uploaded documents and knowledge bases.

Use Cases:

  • Knowledge Base Queries - Search company documentation, policies, or FAQs
  • Document Analysis - Extract information from reports, contracts, or manuals
  • Contextual Responses - Provide answers based on your specific content

How it works: Documents are processed into searchable chunks using vector embeddings, allowing semantic search.

Learn more: File Search Guide →

Provider Compatibility​

Tool TypeOpenAI AssistantOpenAI
Function Calling✅ Available🚧 Coming Soon
File Search✅ Available✅ Available

Getting Started​

  1. Choose Your Provider - Select an AI provider that supports the tools you need
  2. Configure Tools - Set up function calling endpoints or upload documents for search
  3. Test Your Agent - Verify tools work correctly in chat interactions
  4. Monitor Performance - Review tool usage in session logs

Best Practices​

  • Start Simple - Begin with one tool type and expand gradually
  • Test Thoroughly - Verify tool behavior with various inputs before going live
  • Monitor Costs - Tool usage affects token consumption and API costs
  • Secure Endpoints - Use proper authentication for external API connections
  • Optimize Performance - Configure tools for your specific use case and response time needs

Next Steps​