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Tool

A tool represents an external capability that can be invoked to perform specific tasks, integrate with external services, or execute custom functions. Tools provide the bridge between QType applications and the outside world, enabling workflows to interact with APIs, databases, file systems, and custom business logic.

Tools can be used directly as Steps or made available to Agents for autonomous decision-making. They abstract away the complexity of external integrations while providing a consistent interface for authentication, error handling, and data flow.

Rules and Behaviors

  • Dual Usage: Tools can be used as standalone steps in flows or provided to agents for autonomous invocation
  • Authentication Support: Tools can reference AuthorizationProvider objects for secure access to external resources
  • Input/Output Variables: Tools define their interface through inputs and outputs, enabling data flow between components
  • Error Handling: Tools provide structured error handling for network issues, authentication failures, and execution errors
  • Type Safety: Tool inputs and outputs are validated against their declared variable types
  • Execution Context: Tools execute within the QType runtime environment with access to variables and configuration
  • Reusability: Tools can be defined once and used across multiple flows or made available to different agents

Tool Types

APITool

Tool that invokes an API endpoint.

  • endpoint (str): API endpoint URL to call.
  • method (str): HTTP method to use (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).
  • auth (AuthorizationProvider | str | None): Optional AuthorizationProvider for API authentication.
  • headers (dict[str, str] | None): Optional HTTP headers to include in the request.

PythonFunctionTool

Tool that calls a Python function.

  • function_name (str): Name of the Python function to call.
  • module_path (str): Optional module path where the function is defined.

Tools integrate with AuthorizationProvider for secure access, can be used as Steps in Flows, and are essential for Agent capabilities. They consume and produce Variables for data flow and may interact with Models and Indexes.