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← AI Product Building learning path
AI Product Building · Module 5 of 10

Tools and agents

Agents use tools to take actions, not just write text.

📖 Key ideas

  1. Tool use (function calling) lets the model request actions like search_orders or send_email.
  2. Your code runs the tool and returns the result to the model.
  3. An agent loops: plan, call tools, read results, continue until done.
  4. Give tools narrow permissions and validate every argument.
  5. Ask for human approval before risky actions like payments or deletions.
💡 Real-life example: Like a trainee with a phone and a list of approved numbers: they can call the store or the bank, but a manager signs off big payments.
Tool useModel asks your code to run a function
AgentModel that loops through steps and tools
Human-in-the-loopA person approves key steps
GuardrailRule that blocks unsafe actions