Building Your Agent
Tools
Give your agent the ability to take actions — search the web, manage calendars, send messages, and more
Tools are like the apps on a phone: on its own the phone can only do so much, but once you add apps it can take photos, send messages, and check the calendar. Adding tools to your agent works the same way — they turn it from something that only chats into an assistant that can take action. With tools, your agent can search the internet, create calendar events, look things up in a database, send messages, and connect to other services you use.
Before you start
- A saved agent — at least the Profile section saved, so you have an agent to add tools to.
- For connector tools (like Google Calendar or Slack), the sign-in details for that service already saved in Integrations → Credentials. We call these saved sign-in details a credential.
- For custom tools, the connection already built in Integrations → Custom Tools (see the options below).
Tool types
Nirvai has four kinds of tools.
Native tools
Built-in tools available to every agent. You don't need to set them up — they're always there.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Web Search | Searches the internet for up-to-date information |
| Image Generation | Creates images from text descriptions |
Connector tools
Ready-made connections to popular services. These use a credential — the sign-in details you've saved for that service in the Credentials section.
| Connector | Example actions |
|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Create events, check availability, list upcoming meetings |
| Slack | Send messages, read channels, post updates |
| Google Sheets | Read and write spreadsheet data |
| Gmail | Send emails, search the inbox, read messages |
To use a connector tool, first save the credential for that service in Integrations → Credentials.
Custom tools
Connections you build yourself with the Custom Tools feature. These let your agent talk to almost any other service — your own system, an outside service, or any web address that accepts a connection. (Behind the scenes this is the connection Nirvai uses to talk to that service for you.)
You build custom tools in Integrations → Custom Tools, then turn them on for your agent here.
Database tools
When you connect a Nirvai database to your agent, the system automatically creates tools for that database. These let the agent look up, add, change, and remove records.
Database tools are set up in the Databases panel, not in this step.
Add tools to your agent
- In the builder, choose Tools in the left menu.
- A search box lets you find a tool by name, and the count shows how many tools the agent uses. There are three tabs:
- My Tools — the tools already on this agent, plus your own tools you can add.
- Nirvai Tools — built-in tools you can switch on.
- Templates — ready-made tool setups you can install.
- Turn on the tools you want your agent to use.
- Each connector tool shows which credential it's linked to. If none exists yet, you'll be prompted to set one up.
Tools
The apps and services this agent is allowed to use on your behalf.
- · Connect APIs and services your agent can use
- · Give each tool a clear alias, then name that alias in the instructions.
- · Python, web search, files and vision are always on
How many tools?
There's no fixed limit, but fewer is better: with a long list the agent has more to choose from and picks less reliably. Once an agent carries more than about 12 tools, its Overview suggests moving rarely-used ones into a skill. Python, web search, files and vision are always on and don't need adding.
How the agent decides to use a tool
When someone sends a message, the agent decides whether to use a tool based on three things:
- The request — "What's on my calendar tomorrow?" prompts the agent to reach for the Google Calendar tool.
- The agent's instructions — You can tell the agent when and how to use specific tools.
- The tool's description — Each tool has a short description that helps the agent know when it's the right one to use.
The agent can use several tools in a single reply. For example, it might search the internet for information, add a summary to a database, then send a heads-up through Slack — all in one turn.
Tips for setting up tools
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Only turn on tools the agent actually needs | Fewer tools means faster, more focused replies |
| Write clear instructions about when to use each tool | The agent performs better when it knows what you expect |
| Test tools in chat before connecting the agent to a channel | Catch sign-in or setup issues early |
| Make sure credentials are still valid before adding connector tools | Expired sign-in details cause tools to fail mid-conversation |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| A connector tool won't turn on | Check that you've saved the credential (sign-in details) for that service in Integrations → Credentials. |
| A tool fails partway through a conversation | The saved sign-in details may have expired. Re-save the credential for that service, then try again. |
| The agent isn't using a tool you turned on | Add an instruction telling it when to use that tool, and confirm the tool's description clearly says what it's for. |
| A custom tool doesn't appear in the list | Make sure it's been built and saved in Integrations → Custom Tools first. |
What's next
Next, give it your documents and a memory with Projects.