Designing Simple Tool Interfaces › Glossary

Tool Description: Metadata that explains what a tool does, what parameters it requires, and what output it produces. This information helps the agent decide when and how to use the tool.

Tool Registry: A collection or dictionary that maps tool names to their actual function implementations, allowing the agent to look up and call tools dynamically.

Parameter Extraction: The process by which an agent identifies and extracts the necessary input values from a user's question to pass to a tool function.

Tool Chaining: Using multiple tools in sequence, where the output of one tool informs what tool to use next or provides input for subsequent tools.

Structured Output: Data returned from a tool in a consistent, predictable format (like a dictionary or JSON object) that the agent can easily parse and use.

Tool Use Workflow: The complete sequence of steps an agent follows when using a tool: receiving input, deciding to use a tool, selecting the right tool, extracting parameters, calling the tool, and interpreting the result.