Attach tools to an Agent so it can call your APIs, run code, or query knowledge bases during a run. The Agent selects tools automatically using their descriptions.
The Agent reads tool descriptions and invokes the best match autonomously. You don’t specify when tools are called.
Runtype provides ready-to-use platform integrations and provider-native tools:
Web search and scraping
Content generation
Knowledge and data
Browser
File outputs
Provider-native tools (OpenAI Web Search, Anthropic Web Search, xAI Search) require the corresponding model provider. Platform tools (Exa, Firecrawl, GPT Image 2, Vector Search, Browser) work across any model and use your platform key or BYOK configuration. Enable platform integrations in Settings → Integrations.
JavaScript or Python code you write for specialized tasks. Custom tools run in a sandbox with no network access (Cloudflare Worker) or in a configurable container (Daytona). See Creating custom tools.
HTTP API endpoints the Agent calls with dynamic parameters. See Creating external tools.
Any published Flow can become a tool. The Agent invokes the Flow like a function, passing parameters and receiving the Flow’s final output.
This is useful for reusing complex multi-step logic across multiple Agents.
Connect to external MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers to expose their tools to your Agent. Configure an MCP integration in Settings → Integrations, then add individual MCP tools to the Agent.
Spawn a focused child Agent with a subset of tools and an isolated context. Subagents let a parent Agent delegate a specific subtask to a smaller, more focused Agent. You can use saved Agents, define inline Agent configurations, or enable dynamic spawning via spawn_subagent.
Add tools to an Agent from the Agent editor:
Tool descriptions guide Agent decision-making. Be specific:
Good:
Poor:
Include:
Agents need to know what parameters tools expect. Parameter names, types, and descriptions are forwarded to the model automatically. Write descriptions as clear instructions — the Agent reads them to decide what values to pass.
Agents can chain tools without explicit orchestration. For example, an Agent with lookup_customer and create_ticket tools can resolve a refund request end-to-end.
Review execution logs to see which tools the Agent called, in what order, and with what parameters. This helps you understand Agent reasoning and identify wrong tool selections.
Tip: If an Agent repeatedly calls the wrong tool, improve that tool’s description or add examples of when to use it.
Set Max Tool Calls to limit how many tool calls the Agent can make in a single turn, and enable Agent Loop with a Max Turns setting to control how many reasoning iterations the Agent can perform:
If a tool returns an error or non-2xx response, the Agent sees the error message and can retry or switch tools. Use Max Turns and Cost Budget on the Agent to prevent runaway loops. Make tool error messages clear so Agents can respond appropriately.
search_orders is better than search.