Tool Calling overview
Tools let your agent take real-world actions during a conversation — looking up order status, creating a support ticket, sending a notification, or triggering a workflow — without leaving the conversation.
Implicit vs. explicit tools
- Implicit tools — The platform delivers the tool name and arguments to your application. Your client-side code handles the logic and returns the result. Best for actions that live in your front end.
- Explicit tools — The platform forwards the tool call to a server-side HTTP or WebSocket endpoint you configure. Your server executes the logic. Best for secure backend operations.
In both cases the agent receives the result and continues the conversation naturally.
Creating tools
Define tools via the dashboard or POST /public/functions. Attach them to a session by including their IDs in the functions array when creating a connection.
Tip: Tools and Knowledge Bases can be combined — your agent can look something up in a document and take an action based on what it finds.