← Concept IndexDEFINITION WHY IT MATTERS COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Tool use & function calling
Also called: tools, function calling, plugins
Tools are external functions an agent can call — search the web, read a file, send a message, query a database. The model decides which tool to call and with what arguments.
Tools are exactly the surface where an agent gains power and where damage happens. Which tools an agent has, and what each is scoped to touch, matters more than how clever the model is.
The model 'knowing how' to do something. The model only proposes a call; a tool with real permissions actually does it.