Tool use
The capability of an AI model to interact with external software, APIs, or scripts to perform actions it cannot do through text generation alone.
What it is
Tool use bridges the gap between an isolated AI brain and the real world. Instead of just replying with text, a model instructed to "use tools" will output a specific structured command (like a JSON payload). The surrounding software intercepts this payload, executes the requested action (like searching the web or reading a file), and returns the result back to the model.
When you would use it
You configure tool use when building applications where the AI must take physical digital actions, such as editing files or querying live databases, rather than just generating static text.
Common operations
- An AI searching the live internet to answer a query.
- An agent executing a bash script to compile code.