---
title: "Tools"
---

Extend your agents with powerful integrations to external systems, databases, and APIs through Airia's comprehensive Tools ecosystem.

## What Are Tools?

Tools enable your agents to interact with external systems and perform actions beyond text generation. With **162+ available tool types**, Tools bridge the gap between AI models and enterprise systems, allowing agents to:

- Query databases and data warehouses (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, DataBricks)
- Integrate with enterprise applications (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Atlassian)
- Connect with development platforms (GitHub, Supabase, LaunchDarkly, Pinecone)
- Perform web research and content analysis
- Execute custom API calls with dynamic parameters
- Create and update tools programmatically via ToolCreator and ToolUpdater
- Connect to external Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers
- Manage authentication with 135+ credential types

## Supported Model Providers

Tools are compatible with all major LLM providers:

- **OpenAI** (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo)
- **Azure OpenAI** (Enterprise deployment)
- **Anthropic** (Claude family)
- **AWS Bedrock** (Multi-model support)
- **Google Gemini** (Gemini Pro, Gemini Ultra)
- **Mistral** (Mistral Large, Mistral Medium)

## Tool Categories

### Database & Analytics Tools

Connect to enterprise data sources with optimized query and metadata capabilities:

- **SQL Databases:** PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, MySQL with full query support
- **NoSQL Databases:** MongoDB with Find, Aggregate, and Metadata operations
- **Cloud Data Warehouses:** Snowflake, DataBricks for advanced analytics
- **Modern Database Platforms:** Supabase for real-time applications
- **Vector Databases:** Pinecone for AI/ML workloads

### Enterprise Application Tools

Integrate with business-critical systems:

- **Microsoft Ecosystem:** Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint with MCP support
- **Google Workspace:** Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides
- **Atlassian Suite:** JIRA (issue management), Confluence (content search)
- **CRM Systems:** Salesforce with SOQL queries, HubSpot for marketing automation
- **Service Management:** ServiceNow for incident and request management
- **Productivity:** Asana, Slack for team collaboration
- **Development:** GitHub integration via MCP for code management

### Web & Content Tools

Access and analyze web content with comprehensive search capabilities:

- **Search Engines:** Google Search, Brave Search, Exa for web research
- **Academic & Research:** ArXiv for scientific papers, Wolfram Alpha for computational queries
- **Social & Media:** Reddit discussions, YouTube content analysis, X (Twitter) monitoring
- **Financial Data:** Alpha Vantage, FRED, SEC for market and economic data
- **Web Scraping:** Custom web content extraction and analysis

### Airia Components

Specialized tools for advanced agent capabilities:

- **Memory Objects:** Persistent storage and retrieval
- **Document Generation:** Automated report and document creation
- **Agent-to-Agent:** Inter-agent communication
- **AI/ML Tools:** OpenAI DALL-E for image generation, advanced AI integrations

## Tool Library vs. Custom Tools

### Pre-Built Tool Library

Access 162+ ready-to-use Tools:

- **Enterprise-grade** authentication (OAuth, API keys, certificates)
- **Optimized performance** for common use cases
- **Maintained and updated** by Airia
- **Instant deployment** - add to agents in seconds

### Custom Tool Creation

For unique requirements, create custom tools with:

- **Visual Tool Builder:** React-based interface for creating custom tools
- **Flexible API Integration:** Full REST API support with POST, GET, PUT, PATCH methods
- **Dynamic Authentication:** Integration with all 135+ credential types
- **Advanced Parameter System:** Dot notation support (`headers.Content-Type`, `jsonBody.name`)
- **Real-time Testing:** Test tools immediately after creation
- **MCP Server Integration:** Connect to external Model Context Protocol servers
- **Programmatic Tool Management:** ToolCreator and ToolUpdater for AI-driven tool creation

## Authentication & Security

### Supported Authentication Methods (135+ Credential Types)

- **OAuth 2.0:** Google, Microsoft, X (Twitter), Salesforce, Atlassian, Slack, Dropbox, Box
- **API Keys & Bearer Tokens:** Custom API keys, service-specific tokens
- **Basic Authentication:** Username/password for enterprise systems
- **Header Authentication:** Custom header-based auth for specialized APIs
- **Query Parameter Auth:** API keys passed as URL parameters
- **Service Accounts:** Google Service Accounts, specialized database connections
- **MCP Headers:** Authentication for Model Context Protocol integrations

**Authentication Modes:**
- **Credentials Mode:** Shared service account credentials managed by administrators
- **End-User Mode:** Individual user authentication with bring-your-own OAuth capability

Authentication is supported through Airia's secure credential storage with enterprise-grade security for handling secrets and supports both shared and individual user credential management.

## Getting Started

### Add a Pre-Built Tool

1. Navigate to **Tools** in your project navigation
2. Click **Add Tool** from the library
3. Select your desired integration
4. Configure authentication credentials
5. Add to your agent via the **Agent Canvas**

### Create a Custom Tool

1. Go to **Tools** → **Create New Tool**
2. Define tool **Name** and **Description**
3. Configure **API Endpoint** and **Parameters**
4. Set up **Authentication** method
5. Test the configuration
6. Save to your tool library


### Best Practices

> 💡 **Naming Convention:** Use clear, descriptive names like "Company CRM - Customer Lookup" instead of generic names.

> 💡 **Authentication Security:** Use environment-specific credentials and rotate API keys regularly.

> 💡 **Error Handling:** Include fallback behaviors and clear error messages for failed API calls.

## Adding Tools to Agents

### Via Agent Canvas

1. Open your agent in **Agent Canvas**
2. Click the **LLM model block** to open the sidebar
3. Select **Add Tool** from your library
4. Configure tool-specific parameters
5. **Save** the agent configuration

The tool will appear in the model's footer and be available for use.

### Tool Variables

Use **Agent Variables** to make tools dynamic:

```
Database Query: SELECT * FROM {{table_name}} WHERE date > '{{start_date}}'
```

## Testing and Validation

### Playground Testing

Test tools in the agent playground by:

1. **Deploy** your agent with tools enabled
2. **Send queries** that trigger tool usage
3. **Monitor responses** for accuracy and performance
4. **Iterate** on tool configuration as needed

Tools work with both **streaming** and **non-streaming** response modes.

### Common Test Scenarios

- **Database Tools:** "Show me sales data for Q4 2024"
- **Web Tools:** "Find recent news about our competitor"
- **Enterprise Tools:** "Check my calendar for tomorrow's meetings"
- **Custom APIs:** "Get the latest inventory levels from our warehouse system"

## Advanced Features

### Tool Chaining

Combine multiple tools in complex workflows:

1. **Data Retrieval** → Database query for customer info
2. **Data Enhancement** → Web search for company details  
3. **Action Execution** → Update CRM with enriched data

### Scheduled Execution

Set up **automated tool execution** for:

- **Metadata Refresh:** Keep database schemas current
- **Data Synchronization:** Regular system updates
- **Monitoring:** Automated health checks

## What's Next?

- Explore [Database Tools Setup](using-database-tools-in-agents.mdx)
- Configure [Authentication Methods](authenticating-tools.mdx)
- Learn about [Tool Variables](tool-variables.mdx)
- Set up [Actions and Workflows](actions.mdx)
