What is a Tool?
Applies to: AGS 1.0 | Level: Beginner | Reading time: 5 min
Part of: Using Tools with Your Agent (Overview) | Last reviewed: 25 Sep 2026
Part of: Using Tools with Your Agent (Overview) | Last reviewed: 25 Sep 2026
This article explains what a tool is in AGS, the two kinds of tools you can add, and how to decide which one you need. No technical background required.
What you'll be able to do
- Explain what a tool does for your agent during a call
- Tell a vendor tool apart from a Custom HTTP Tool
- Read a row in the Tool Catalog
- Understand how connections, tools and agents fit together
- Choose the right setup path for your system
Tools let your agent take action
Your agent knows how to talk. A tool is how it does things.
Think of your agent as a new receptionist on their first day. They can hold a great conversation, but on their own they can't check your calendar, open a support ticket, or look up a customer in your CRM. Tools are the logins and phone extensions you hand that receptionist so they can get work done.
| Without tools, the agent says… | With tools, the agent says… |
|---|---|
| "Someone will get back to you." | "I've opened ticket 4471 for you. A technician will call within the hour." |
Everyday examples
| The caller says | The tool does |
|---|---|
| "Is anyone available Thursday afternoon?" | Checks the calendar for open slots |
| "My internet is down again." | Creates a ticket in the PSA with the caller's details |
| "I'm calling about my order." | Looks up the customer record in the CRM |
| "Any update on my ticket?" | Reads back the latest notes on that ticket |
Connection, tool, agent: three different things
- Connection: the login to the outside system (an API key or account credentials).
- Tool: one action that uses that login, such as "create a ticket".
- Agent: the assistant you attach tools to.
The two kinds of tools
Everything lives in the Tool Marketplace. There are exactly two ways to give an agent a new capability.
| Vendor tool | Custom HTTP Tool | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A ready-made pack of tools for a known platform: FreshDesk, HubSpot, Halo, Calendly, Google Calendar, ConnectWise, Autotask, Atera and others | A tool you build yourself against any HTTP endpoint |
| Button in the catalog | Install tool or Setup | Build |
| Who it's for | Everyone. Start here. | Technical users, or with help from your technical contact |
| What you provide | A connection and a few vendor-specific values | Endpoint, authentication, parameters and the full request definition |
| Use it when | Your system is already in the catalog | Your system is in-house or not listed, or you're calling your own workflow or API |
Finding your way around the Tool Marketplace
Open the Tool Marketplace from its icon in the left navigation rail. Vendor packs are listed alongside the Custom HTTP Tool entry.
- Tool Catalog: everything available to install. Start here.
- Installed Tools: what you've already installed. Check here first so you don't create a duplicate.
- Connections: your saved logins and API credentials, one per system. Set up once and reused by every tool from that vendor.
Reading a row in the Tool Catalog
Every row shows the same signals. Knowing them saves a lot of clicking.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
10 tools | How many separate actions this vendor pack contains. You install only the ones you need. |
✓ 1 | How many connections you already have for this vendor. |
| Install tool | A connection already exists. You can go straight to choosing tools. |
| Setup | No connection yet. You'll create one first. |
| Build | Appears only on Custom HTTP Tool. Opens the build form. |
(BETA) | Still being tested. Expect changes. |
Which path do I take?
| Ask yourself | Then read |
|---|---|
| Is the system already listed in the Tool Catalog? | Installing a Vendor Tool |
| Is it an in-house system, or a vendor that isn't listed? | Building a Custom HTTP Tool |
| Do you already have a workflow or API endpoint built for this? | Building a Custom HTTP Tool |
| Not technical and not sure? | Installing a Vendor Tool, and ask your technical contact if the vendor is missing |
Under the hood (for technical readers)
A tool is a function definition exposed to the model at inference time. When the model decides a tool is needed, it emits a structured call with arguments that match the parameter schema. AGS executes that call against the configured endpoint and returns the result to the model as context for its next turn.
Three things drive a tool's behavior:
- The schema: parameters, their types, and which are required.
- The description: natural-language text the model reads to decide whether to call the tool.
- The transport: credentials from the connection, plus the endpoint and payload from the tool definition.
Next step
Before you install anything, check the Before you begin list in the overview. Then continue with Installing a Vendor Tool or Building a Custom HTTP Tool.