Tool Calling
The capability of an AI model to intentionally halt text generation, format an API request to execute an external function, and ingest the result.
Think of It Like This
Like a chef realizing they don't know the exact temperature of the oven, so they pause cooking to check a thermometer before continuing.
Also known as function calling, this transforms an LLM from a static text generator into an active Agent. The model is provided with a JSON schema defining available tools (like a calculator or web search). When necessary, it outputs perfectly formatted JSON to trigger the tool, reading the environment's response to formulate its final answer.