Definition · foundations
tool discovery
tool discovery is the term for Finding tools and learning their names, inputs, outputs, and limits. You can spot tool discovery in practice when the record shows what the system observes, what choice it makes, and what changes next, without asking the reader to guess or trust a slogan.
157 definitions656 sourced recordsNamed source: ACL Anthology
Why does tool discovery matter?
An agent must find the right tool before it can use it. Names, schemas, trust, and access shape that choice. For tool discovery, start with three checks: What can the system observe? What choice can it make? What changes after it acts? The answers should point to visible evidence, not a promise.
What does tool discovery look like?
A data agent searches an approved catalog for a tool that can read a CSV file. This example makes tool discovery visible by naming the actor, the action, and the result in practice. It is an illustration for readers, not a claim that every product behaves this way.
What is tool discovery easy to confuse with?
Tool discovery finds tools. Capability discovery can also find agents, skills, and services. The closest entries here are tool calling, tool error, agent manifest. Compare their definitions with tool discovery before using the names as if they mean the same thing. That comparison keeps tool discovery separate from nearby ideas without pretending the boundary is always perfect.
How certain is this definition?
This definition is provisional. ACL Anthology supports the version you see today, but a better or more direct source may change it. Open the cited page and check its date before you use this entry to choose a product, write a policy, set a safety control, or design a system.
Who introduced the term tool discovery?
We have not verified who first introduced tool discovery. The source supports a useful definition, but it may not be the earliest use. Until a dated primary record settles the question, we leave the origin open. A popular article or product page is not enough to name the person who coined a term.
What should you understand before tool discovery?
Read artificial intelligence (AI) first when tool discovery depends on a more basic idea or mechanism. The link gives you a useful route through the glossary. It does not mean every author teaches the subject in this order, so follow the source when the sequence matters.
What should this term help you answer?
Use tool discovery to ask what an agent can observe, decide, change, remember, or hand off. The questions below turn the definition into a practical check. They are prompts for your own work, not claims made by the source, so change them to fit the system you are examining.
- What can the system observe?
- What choice can it make?
- What changes after it acts?
Which source supports this definition of tool discovery?
ACL Anthology supports this working definition of tool discovery. We checked the link on 2026-07-12. Open the original record for its context, methods, limits, and publication details. The short explanation here is a guide to tool discovery; the linked source remains the evidence to inspect when the wording or boundary matters.
source foundtool discoveryChecked 2026-07-12→