In plain language
The AI says “look up order 123”, your system runs that lookup, and the AI continues with the real data.
Example
A support assistant calls a get_order_status tool instead of guessing whether an order has shipped.
Related terms
AI Agent · Model Context Protocol (MCP) · API · Structured Output
Common misconception
The model does not run tools itself; your application executes each call and decides whether it is allowed.
Implementation guidance
Describe each tool and its parameters precisely, validate arguments before running them, limit tools to safe actions, and log every call.