Available Tools

Tools extend agent capabilities beyond simple text generation.

Built-in Tools

RAG Search Tool

Search your document knowledge base for relevant information.

Capabilities:

• Semantic search across uploaded documents
• Configurable retrieval parameters
• Metadata filtering
• Similarity scoring

Use Cases:

• Customer support: Search product documentation
• Internal knowledge: Find company policies
• Research: Gather information from knowledge base

Configuration:

{
    "rag_search": {
        "default_collection": "docs",
        "top_k": 5,
        "similarity_threshold": 0.7
    }
}

Web Search Tool

Powered by Brave Search for real-time information.

Capabilities:

• Current event and news
• Real-time web search
• Configurable result limits

Use Cases:

• Research: Find latest developments
• Current events: News, weather, stock prices
• Fact-checking: Verify claims and statements

Configuration:

{
    "web_search": {
        "enabled": true,
        "max_results": 10
    }
}

Setup: Add Brave Search API key to environment:

BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY=your-brave-api-key

Code Execution Tool

Execute Python code for data analysis and computation.

Capabilities:

• Python code execution in isolated environment
• Library support (pandas, numpy, matplotlib, etc.)
• Configurable timeout
• Result capture

Use Cases:

• Data analysis: Process datasets, calculate statistics
• Data visualization: Create charts and graphs
• File processing: Parse and analyze files
• Computation: Run calculations and simulations

Configuration:

{
    "code_execution": {
        "timeout": 30,
        "allowed_libraries": ["pandas", "numpy", "matplotlib"]
    }
}

Security Considerations:

• Code runs in sandboxed environment
• Timeout prevents infinite loops
• Restricted library access
• No file system access (unless explicitly configured)

Custom Tools (MCP)

Create custom tools via Model Context Protocol.

Capabilities:

• Connect external APIs as tools
• Custom tool definitions
• Tool-specific configuration
• Authentication and authorization

Use Cases:

• Business logic: Order management, CRM integration
• Domain-specific: Weather, flight booking, financial services
• Internal systems: Database queries, internal APIs

Configuration:

{
    "mcp_servers": ["ORDER_API", "WEATHER"]
}

See MCP Tools for detailed setup instructions.

Tool Comparison

Tool	Data Source	Latency	Cost	Use Case
RAG Search	Your documents	Fast	Low	Knowledge base queries
Web Search	Internet	Medium	Varies	Current events
Code Execution	Computation	Fast	Low	Data processing
Custom MCP	External API	Varies	Varies	Business logic

Tool Parameters Reference

Common Parameters

Parameter	Applies To	Description	Default
top_k	RAG search	Number of documents to retrieve	5
similarity_threshold	RAG search	Minimum relevance score	0.7
timeout	Code execution	Maximum execution time (seconds)	30
max_results	Web search	Number of search results	10
max_iterations	Agent	Maximum tool iterations	5

Best Practices

Tool Selection

1. Start Simple: Begin with fewer tools, add as needed
2. Test Independently: Verify each tool works before combining
3. Monitor Usage: Track which tools provide value
4. Consider Costs: Web search and code execution may incur costs

Error Handling

1. Validate Parameters: Check tool inputs before execution
2. Handle Failures: Gracefully handle tool errors
3. Retry Logic: Implement appropriate retry strategies
4. Timeout Management: Set reasonable timeouts for all tools

Next Steps

• Creating Agents - Configure agents with tools
• Tool Calling - Direct tool usage
• MCP Tools - Build custom tools
• Examples - See tools in action