6.3 Tool Design¶
Role at Stage 6: AI Agents¶
Give agents safe, typed, observable interfaces to useful software capabilities. This part is one capability inside the stage. It should leave behind an artifact, measurements, and a short explanation of failure modes.
Explanation¶
This part has 4 sub-parts because the topic needs that many learning units to feel natural. Some stages have more parts and some have fewer; the structure follows the topic, not a fixed template.
Part Diagram¶
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flowchart LR
P["<b>6.3</b><br/>Tool Design"]
P --> S1["<b>6.3.1</b><br/>Tool Contracts and<br/>JSON Schema"]
P --> S2["<b>6.3.2</b><br/>Function Calling"]
P --> S3["<b>6.3.3</b><br/>Tool Errors Timeouts<br/>and Retries"]
P --> S4["<b>6.3.4</b><br/>Idempotency and Side<br/>Effects"]
P --> E["<b>Exam</b><br/>Part practice"]Sub-Parts¶
| Sub-part folder | What it explains |
|---|---|
| 6.3.1 Tool Contracts and JSON Schema | Tool Contracts and JSON Schema is the working skill inside Tool Design that helps you build the stage artifact, A tool-using agent with typed tools, memory, traces, task evals, prompt-injection tests, and an architecture README, while collecting enough evidence to trust the result. |
| 6.3.2 Function Calling | Function Calling is the working skill inside Tool Design that helps you build the stage artifact, A tool-using agent with typed tools, memory, traces, task evals, prompt-injection tests, and an architecture README, while collecting enough evidence to trust the result. |
| 6.3.3 Tool Errors Timeouts and Retries | Tool Errors Timeouts and Retries is the working skill inside Tool Design that helps you build the stage artifact, A tool-using agent with typed tools, memory, traces, task evals, prompt-injection tests, and an architecture README, while collecting enough evidence to trust the result. |
| 6.3.4 Idempotency and Side Effects | Idempotency and Side Effects is the working skill inside Tool Design that helps you build the stage artifact, A tool-using agent with typed tools, memory, traces, task evals, prompt-injection tests, and an architecture README, while collecting enough evidence to trust the result. |
What a Person Who Masters This Part Can Do¶
- Explain how Tool Design supports a tool-using agent with typed tools, memory, traces, task evals, prompt-injection tests, and an architecture readme..
- Build and inspect this artifact: Create three typed tools.
- Measure progress with: Track schema validity, tool success, retries, and permission blocks.
- Debug at least one failure mode before moving to the next part.
Build and Measure¶
Build: Create three typed tools.
Measure: Track schema validity, tool success, retries, and permission blocks.
Tests¶
Take one 30-question exam after studying this part. It opens in a new browser tab so the study page stays available.
Back to Stage¶
Return to Stage 6: AI Agents.