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Tools

What are Tools?

Tools are the actions your AI agent can perform during a conversation. While Rules define how the agent behaves, Tools define what it can do — searching your product catalog, displaying product cards, pulling up specific information, or triggering a configured workflow.

When a visitor sends a message, the agent decides in real time which tools are relevant and calls them as needed. The results are then woven into the agent's response. From the visitor's perspective, it feels like a natural conversation — behind the scenes, the agent is working with your tools to pull in the right information.

Create a Tool

Navigate to Tools in the left sidebar. Click New Tool in the top-right corner.

You will be prompted to enter a name and select a tool type. After confirming, the tool is created and you are taken to its detail page where you can configure it fully.

Set a Name

The name is internal — your visitors never see it directly. Use something that clearly describes the tool's function, for example Product Search, Order Status Lookup, or Size Guide.

The name is also used to generate the tool's handle (a URL-safe identifier used internally). You can review the handle on the detail page.

Choose a Tool Type

The tool type determines the fundamental capability of the tool. Each type has its own configuration options. Select the type that matches what you want the tool to do.

The type is set when you create the tool and cannot be changed afterwards. If you need a different type, create a new tool.

Enable or Disable a Tool

Every tool has an Enabled toggle. When a tool is disabled, the agent will not call it — even if the conversation context would normally trigger it.

Use this to:

  • Temporarily deactivate a tool while you are reconfiguring it
  • Disable seasonal tools outside of their relevant period
  • Test your setup by disabling tools one at a time

Disabling a tool does not delete it or remove its configuration. Re-enabling it restores the previous behavior immediately.

Configure a Tool

When to Use

The When to use field tells the agent in plain language when it should call this tool. Write it as a natural instruction:

  • When a customer asks about a specific product or wants to see what is available
  • When the user wants to check their order status or delivery progress
  • When someone asks for sizing information or a comparison between variants

The agent reads this during the conversation and uses it to decide whether calling the tool would help answer the current question.

The sidebar label is the name displayed to visitors when the tool opens a sidebar panel — for tools that show results alongside the chat rather than inline. Keep it short and descriptive, for example Products, Order Details, or Results.

If the tool does not use a sidebar, this field has no visible effect.

Intro Text

The intro text appears at the top of the sidebar panel when it opens, giving the visitor context for what they are seeing. Use it to set expectations:

  • Here are the products that match your question.
  • Your order details are shown below.

Keep it brief — one or two sentences at most.

Config

The Config field contains tool-specific settings as a JSON object. What goes here depends on the tool type. For example, a product search tool might accept filters or result limits; a custom tool might accept endpoint configuration.

Refer to the tool type reference for the specific keys and values your tool type supports.

Tools can be connected to other features in your account.

Product links associate the tool with specific products in your catalog. This is useful when a tool should only surface results for a subset of products, or when you want rules linked to those products to activate when the tool runs.

Rule links connect the tool to specific rules. When the tool is invoked, any On Demand rules linked to it are loaded into the agent's context automatically. This lets you attach behavioral instructions that are only relevant when this tool is active.

To manage links, open the tool's detail page and use the link management section.

Settings

| Setting | Description | |---|---| | Name | Internal label for the tool | | Tool type | The type of capability this tool provides | | Handle | Auto-generated URL-safe identifier | | Enabled | Whether the agent can call this tool | | When to use | Plain-language instruction for when the agent should invoke the tool | | Sidebar label | Label shown in the sidebar panel for this tool's results | | Intro text | Short text shown at the top of the sidebar panel | | Config | Tool-type-specific configuration as a JSON object | | Product links | Products associated with this tool | | Rule links | Rules that activate when this tool is invoked |

Manage Tools

The Tools list shows all tools in your account. Use the search field at the top to filter by name. This helps you find tools quickly when you have a larger setup with multiple tools for different purposes.

Edit a Tool

Click on any tool in the list to open its detail page. From there you can update the name, enabled status, when-to-use instruction, sidebar label, intro text, and config. You can also manage product and rule links.

Save your changes with the Save button. Changes apply immediately — the agent uses the updated configuration in the next conversation it has.

Delete a Tool

Open the tool's detail page and use the delete option. Deletion is permanent and removes all product and rule links associated with the tool.

Before deleting a tool that is actively used, consider disabling it first to confirm the impact. If disabling it causes no issues, deletion is safe.

FAQ

Can a tool be linked to multiple products? Yes. You can link a tool to as many products as needed. The links inform which products are in scope when the tool runs and determine which product-specific rules are activated.

What happens if a tool is enabled but has no when-to-use instruction? The agent will not know when to call the tool. Always fill in the when-to-use field — it is how the agent decides which tools are relevant for a given question.

Can I have the same tool type multiple times? Yes. You can create multiple tools of the same type with different configurations. For example, two product search tools scoped to different product categories, each with its own when-to-use instruction.

Does disabling a tool affect linked rules? The rules themselves remain unchanged. If a rule is linked to a disabled tool and set to On Demand, the rule simply will not be triggered (because the tool never runs). Always-loaded rules are not affected by tool status.