> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skillbridgedev.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Agent Tools
> Powerful capabilities that agents can use to access data and perform actions
# Agent Tools
Agent tools are specialized capabilities that enable AI agents to access data, perform calculations, search content, create assessments, and integrate with external services. These tools extend agents beyond simple conversation to become powerful educational assistants that can take concrete actions.
Think of tools as the "hands and eyes" of AI agents - they allow agents to interact with SkillShop's data, external services, and perform specific tasks beyond just generating text responses.
## How Tools Work
### Tool Integration
When agents need to perform specific tasks, they automatically select and use appropriate tools:
The agent analyzes your request to understand what information or actions are needed
The agent chooses the most appropriate tool(s) for the task
The agent executes the tool with specific parameters
The agent incorporates tool results into its response
### Visibility and Transparency
When agents use tools, you can see:
* **Which tool** is being used and why
* **Real-time progress** during tool execution
* **Results summary** of what the tool accomplished
* **How results** are integrated into the agent's response
Tool usage is completely transparent, so you always understand how agents are gathering information and performing tasks.
## Core Tool Categories
### Data Access Tools
**Purpose**: Query SkillShop's database for topics, skills, content, assessments, and learning materials
**Capabilities**:
* Search topics by name, category, or description
* Find skills by level, domain, or learning objectives
* Locate content by type, subject, or difficulty
* Retrieve assessment items and rubrics
* Access learning plans, modules, and paths
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Find all intermediate-level math skills related to algebra"
Tool Action: Searches skills database with filters for level=intermediate, domain=mathematics, topic=algebra
Result: Returns list of relevant algebraic skills with descriptions and prerequisites
```
**Purpose**: Full-text search across all educational content and materials
**Capabilities**:
* Search across documents, videos, presentations, and other materials
* Filter by content type, subject area, or grade level
* Find content related to specific learning objectives
* Locate materials by author, creation date, or tags
* Search within specific content collections or libraries
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Find video content about photosynthesis for middle school students"
Tool Action: Searches content database for videos with photosynthesis keywords and middle school grade level
Result: Returns relevant video resources with descriptions, durations, and quality ratings
```
### Educational Management Tools
**Purpose**: Create, modify, and manage assessments, quizzes, and evaluation instruments
**Capabilities**:
* Create various question types (multiple choice, short answer, essay)
* Generate item banks organized by topic and difficulty
* Design rubrics for subjective assessments
* Manage assessment metadata and settings
* Link assessments to learning objectives and skills
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Create a 10-question quiz on the water cycle for 5th graders"
Tool Action: Generates multiple choice and short answer questions with appropriate difficulty
Result: Complete quiz with questions, answer choices, correct answers, and explanations
```
**Purpose**: Create and manage personalized learning plans and educational sequences
**Capabilities**:
* Design learning activity sequences
* Create personalized learning plans (PLPs)
* Organize learning modules and pathways
* Set learning objectives and outcomes
* Track prerequisite relationships
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Create a 4-week learning plan for teaching fractions to 4th graders"
Tool Action: Designs sequence of activities, resources, and assessments over 4 weeks
Result: Structured learning plan with daily activities, materials, and progress checkpoints
```
**Purpose**: Organize and manage hierarchical topic structures and knowledge organization
**Capabilities**:
* Create topic hierarchies and taxonomies
* Manage relationships between concepts, people, events, and domains
* Bulk create and update topic structures
* Organize academic domains and subdomains
* Tag and categorize educational concepts
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Organize computer science topics into a comprehensive hierarchy"
Tool Action: Creates structured topic tree with programming, algorithms, data structures, etc.
Result: Hierarchical topic organization with parent-child relationships and descriptions
```
**Purpose**: Manage competency-based skills and learning progressions
**Capabilities**:
* Create skill definitions and descriptions
* Set skill levels and difficulty progressions
* Map skills to topics and learning objectives
* Bulk create and update skill sets
* Track skill prerequisites and relationships
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Define the skill progression for learning Python programming"
Tool Action: Creates sequence of Python skills from basic syntax to advanced concepts
Result: Structured skill progression with levels, prerequisites, and learning objectives
```
### Content Discovery and Creation
**Purpose**: Find and import educational content from external sources
**Capabilities**:
* Search existing SkillShop content first
* Discover external educational resources when needed
* Evaluate content quality and relevance
* Import and organize discovered materials
* Maintain content quality thresholds
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Find high-quality resources about renewable energy for high school"
Tool Action: Searches internal content, then external sources for relevant materials
Result: Curated list of articles, videos, and interactive resources with quality ratings
```
**Purpose**: Generate various types of educational content and materials
**Capabilities**:
* Create text-based educational materials
* Generate multimedia content scripts
* Produce interactive learning activities
* Design visual aids and presentations
* Adapt content for different audiences and formats
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Generate an engaging explanation of DNA structure for 9th graders"
Tool Action: Creates age-appropriate content with analogies, examples, and visual descriptions
Result: Comprehensive explanation with multiple learning modalities and engagement strategies
```
### External Integration Tools
**Purpose**: Search the web for real-time information using advanced AI-powered web search capabilities
**Capabilities**:
* Find current information and recent developments
* Search for educational resources and materials online
* Access real-time data and statistics
* Discover trending topics and current events
* Verify facts and gather supporting evidence
**How It Works**:
* Uses the AI model's native web search capabilities (Anthropic, OpenAI)
* Automatically searches and retrieves relevant information
* Provides results with proper citations and source URLs
* Integrates findings directly into agent responses
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "What are the latest developments in renewable energy technology in 2025?"
Tool Action: Searches web for current renewable energy news, research, and developments
Result: Comprehensive overview with recent breakthroughs, statistics, and credible source citations
```
**Supported Models**:
* Claude models (Opus 4.1, Sonnet 4, Sonnet 3.7, Haiku 3.5)
* OpenAI models (when web search becomes available)
Web search results are automatically incorporated with proper citations. The search happens on the AI provider's servers, ensuring access to current, reliable information.
**Purpose**: Create, read, update, and manage Google Sheets spreadsheets
**Capabilities**:
* Create new spreadsheets and organize data
* Read and analyze existing spreadsheet data
* Update cells and ranges with new information
* Share spreadsheets with specific permissions
* Manage folders and organize documents
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Create a gradebook spreadsheet for my biology class"
Tool Action: Creates formatted spreadsheet with student names, assignment columns, and formulas
Result: Professional gradebook with automatic calculations and sharing permissions
```
**Purpose**: Create, edit, and manage Google Docs documents
**Capabilities**:
* Create new documents with formatted content
* Edit existing documents and collaborate
* Insert and format text, images, and tables
* Share documents with appropriate permissions
* Organize documents in Drive folders
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Create a lesson plan document for teaching the Civil War"
Tool Action: Generates formatted lesson plan with objectives, activities, and assessments
Result: Professional lesson plan document ready for classroom use and sharing
```
### Specialized Tools
**Purpose**: Perform mathematical calculations and operations
**Capabilities**:
* Basic arithmetic operations
* Advanced mathematical functions
* Statistical calculations
* Unit conversions
* Formula evaluation
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Calculate the area of a circle with radius 7.5 meters"
Tool Action: Applies formula A = πr² with r = 7.5
Result: Area = 176.71 square meters with step-by-step calculation
```
**Purpose**: Analyze, transform, and process text content
**Capabilities**:
* Analyze text for readability and complexity
* Extract keywords and key concepts
* Count words, sentences, and paragraphs
* Estimate reading time and difficulty level
* Transform text format and structure
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Analyze this essay for grade-level appropriateness"
Tool Action: Processes text for vocabulary, sentence complexity, and concept difficulty
Result: Grade level estimate, readability score, and suggestions for improvement
```
**Purpose**: Generate, analyze, and work with programming code
**Capabilities**:
* Generate code in various programming languages
* Analyze existing code for quality and functionality
* Create educational programming examples
* Debug and explain code functionality
* Generate coding exercises and projects
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Create a Python function to calculate fibonacci numbers with explanation"
Tool Action: Generates clean, commented Python code with educational explanations
Result: Complete function with documentation, examples, and teaching notes
```
### Documentation and Support
**Purpose**: Search SkillShop's user documentation and help resources
**Capabilities**:
* Semantic search across all documentation
* Find feature explanations and tutorials
* Locate troubleshooting guides and FAQs
* Access API documentation and technical guides
* Provide contextual help and guidance
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "How do I create learning paths in SkillShop?"
Tool Action: Searches documentation for learning path creation guides
Result: Step-by-step instructions with screenshots and best practices
```
**Purpose**: Manage development issues, bug reports, and feature requests
**Capabilities**:
* Create and track bug reports
* Submit feature requests and enhancements
* Manage project issues and tasks
* Track issue status and resolution
* Organize development workflows
**Example Usage**:
```text theme={null}
Agent Request: "Report a bug with the assessment creation interface"
Tool Action: Creates structured bug report with details and reproduction steps
Result: Tracked issue with unique ID and status for follow-up
```
## Tool Configuration for Agents
### Automatic Tool Selection
Most agents are configured with `"toolChoice": "auto"`, allowing them to intelligently select appropriate tools based on your requests.
### Tool Categories by Agent Type
**Essential Tools**:
* Data Lookup (access existing curricula)
* Learning Plan Manager (create structured plans)
* Topic Manager (organize knowledge)
* Content Discovery (find relevant materials)
**Optional Tools**:
* Web Search (find current educational trends and standards)
* Assessment Manager (create aligned assessments)
* Google Sheets (track curriculum data)
**Essential Tools**:
* Assessment Manager (create and manage assessments)
* Data Lookup (access topics and skills)
* Text Processing (analyze question quality)
**Optional Tools**:
* Calculator (for math assessments)
* Content Search (find related materials)
**Essential Tools**:
* Content Generator (create materials)
* Content Discovery (find existing resources)
* Text Processing (analyze and optimize content)
**Optional Tools**:
* Web Search (find current information and trends)
* Google Docs (create formatted documents)
* Code Generator (for technical content)
**Essential Tools**:
* Data Lookup (access learning materials)
* Content Search (find explanatory resources)
* Text Processing (analyze student work)
**Optional Tools**:
* Web Search (find current examples and explanations)
* Calculator (for math tutoring)
* Assessment Manager (create practice questions)
## Understanding Tool Usage
### When Agents Use Tools
Agents automatically use tools when they need to:
* **Access Information**: Look up data from SkillShop's database
* **Find Current Information**: Search the web for real-time data and recent developments
* **Perform Actions**: Create assessments, learning plans, or content
* **Analyze Content**: Process text, calculate values, or evaluate materials
* **Integrate Services**: Work with external platforms like Google Workspace
* **Search Resources**: Find existing materials or documentation
### Tool Execution Visibility
During tool usage, you'll see:
```text Tool Selection theme={null}
🔧 Using Data Lookup tool to find algebra skills...
```
```text Execution Progress theme={null}
⏳ Searching skills database with filters: level=intermediate, subject=mathematics...
```
```text Results Summary theme={null}
✅ Found 15 algebra skills matching criteria
📊 Results include: linear equations, quadratic functions, polynomial operations...
```
```text Web Search Example theme={null}
🌐 Using Web Search to find latest renewable energy developments...
⏳ Searching for current renewable energy research and news...
✅ Found recent articles from MIT Technology Review, Nature Energy, and Reuters
📰 Results include: new solar panel efficiency records, wind energy breakthroughs, policy updates...
```
### Tool Limitations and Considerations
Tools can only access data that exists in SkillShop or connected services. If information isn't available, agents will inform you and suggest alternatives.
Some tools require specific permissions (e.g., Google Workspace integration). Agents will notify you if permissions are needed.
Complex tool operations may take time to complete. Agents provide progress updates for longer-running tasks.
Tools that integrate with external services may be temporarily unavailable if those services experience issues.
## Advanced Tool Features
### Tool Chaining
Agents can use multiple tools in sequence to accomplish complex tasks:
Find relevant topics and skills for a curriculum
Locate existing materials for those topics
Create structured learning sequence
Generate aligned assessments
### Parallel Tool Usage
Some agents can use multiple tools simultaneously for efficiency:
* Search content while looking up related topics
* Generate materials while creating assessments
* Process multiple data sources concurrently
### Context Preservation
Tools maintain context across usage within a conversation:
* Previous search results inform subsequent queries
* Created content can be referenced and modified
* Tool outputs build upon each other
## Troubleshooting Tool Issues
**Symptoms**: Agent mentions a tool is unavailable or not responding
**Solutions**:
* Check system status for external service issues
* Verify your permissions for integrated services
* Try again later if services are temporarily down
* Contact support if issues persist
**Symptoms**: Tool returns unexpected or incomplete results
**Solutions**:
* Provide more specific search criteria or parameters
* Check if the data you're looking for actually exists
* Try alternative search terms or approaches
* Ask the agent to clarify what it found
**Symptoms**: Agent reports permission denied or authentication issues
**Solutions**:
* Check your account permissions for integrated services
* Re-authenticate with external services if needed
* Contact your administrator for permission updates
* Use alternative tools if available
## Best Practices for Tool Usage
Provide clear, specific requests to help agents select the most appropriate tools and parameters
Learn what each tool can do to better understand how agents can help with your tasks
Watch tool execution progress to understand how agents are working and identify any issues
Let agents know if tool results don't meet your needs so they can try alternative approaches
## Future Tool Development
### Planned Enhancements
* **Multi-Modal Tools**: Support for image, audio, and video processing
* **Advanced Analytics**: Deeper learning analytics and progress tracking
* **Workflow Integration**: Tools specifically designed for workflow orchestration
* **Custom Tool Creation**: Allow users to create custom tools for specific needs
### Integration Roadmap
* **Learning Management Systems**: Direct integration with popular LMS platforms
* **Assessment Platforms**: Integration with external assessment and testing services
* **Content Libraries**: Access to major educational content repositories
* **Communication Tools**: Integration with classroom communication platforms
Tool capabilities are continuously expanding. Check the latest documentation and agent descriptions for the most current tool availability and features.