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Tools are actions a voice agent can take during a call: hanging up, transferring to a person, searching your knowledge base, or calling your own API. The agent’s AI decides when to use a tool based on the conversation and the tool’s description — so a well-written description matters as much as the tool’s settings. Open an agent and go to the Tools tab.
The Tools tab: the System tools list with switches on the left, and the selected tool's settings on the rightThe Tools tab: the System tools list with switches on the left, and the selected tool's settings on the right

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System tools and custom tools

The Tools tab has two lists: Switch between the two lists with the System tools and Custom tools tabs above the list. The Custom tools tab shows how many you have.
The Custom tools tab with Add custom tool and one custom tool selectedThe Custom tools tab with Add custom tool and one custom tool selected
  • System Tools — every built-in tool, what it does on a call, and its settings.
  • Custom Tools — how to connect your own API and how requests are built.

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Writing tool descriptions

Every tool has a Name and a Description. The description is the only guidance the agent gets about the tool, so write it as an instruction:
  • When to use the tool — “Use this when the caller asks for a real person.”
  • What to say first, if anything — “Tell the caller you’re checking before calling this tool.”
  • What not to do — “Don’t use this for billing questions.”
System tools come with a default description you can edit. Spaces in a tool’s name are turned into underscores as you type; give each tool a short, unique name.

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Adding, saving, and removing tools

  • Turn a system tool on with its switch, or click Add custom tool. The tool is added to the agent immediately with its default settings.
  • Configure it in the panel on the right and click Save.
  • Add another instance of a transfer or knowledge base search with the + button on its card. Rename each instance so their names stay unique.
  • Turn a system tool off with its switch. A Disable tool dialog asks you to confirm — its settings are lost.
  • Delete a custom tool (or an extra instance) with the trash icon.
Tools go live the moment you add them, before you click Save. If the agent is active, finish configuring each new tool and save it before the agent takes calls.

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Tools on new agents

New voice agents start with End call and Detect voicemail turned on. Search knowledge base appears and disappears on its own as you attach and remove knowledge base documents.

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Multi-prompt agents

  • The Tools tab sets global tools, available in every state of the conversation.
  • Per-state tools are set in the Agent tab’s workflow editor: select a state and use the tools section in its side panel. Save the workflow to keep the changes.
The multi-prompt workflow editor with a state selected and its side panel showing System tools and Custom toolsThe multi-prompt workflow editor with a state selected and its side panel showing System tools and Custom tools
Selecting a state opens its side panel, with the same System tools and Custom tools lists as the Tools tab — above, Search knowledge base is on for the Starting State. The panel’s Global Node switch makes the state callable from every other state, for shared sub-flows such as a transfer. Static-sentence states can’t have tools. Don’t give a global tool and a state tool the same name.

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Voice and chat

Tools are configured in the dashboard (or with Conductor); they can’t be set up through the API.