Tool
Also: tools
Something an AI system can use to do a task. Examples include a search service, a calculator, and a file reader.
The fuller definition
For an AI agent, a tool is an operation the system can invoke to interact with something outside model generation, such as search, calculation, or file access.
- Request
Operation and arguments
- Execution
Software performs it
- Result
Data returned to the agent
A simplified relationship, not a screenshot or a complete design.
A concrete example
A search tool returns passages, while a calculator tool performs arithmetic on specified values.
The distinction that matters
A tool's output can be wrong, stale, incomplete, or untrusted; availability is not blanket authorization.
Related terms
Tool calling
The model asking for a tool to be run, and the app running it and handing back the result.
APIs & softwareAPI — Application Programming Interface
A doorway that lets one program talk to another. Apps use an API to send your request to the model and get the answer back.
Reliability & securityPermission
What an AI system is allowed to see or do, set by the people who run it.
Where it is taught
Prompts, skills, workflows, and agentsSource and further reading
Anthropic · Building effective agentsThe definition and example are written for this library. The link gives background, official documentation or legal authority as labelled. Legal scope depends on the jurisdiction and current text; product features depend on release and settings.