Create tool
POST/v2/tools
Create a new tool that agents can use during conversation. Tools give agents capabilities to interact with external systems, process data, query corpora, or run custom logic. Agents select and invoke tools dynamically based on their instructions and the conversational context.
Vectara provides several built-in tools, but you can also create your own. This endpoint currently supports creating Lambda tools, which run user-defined Python functions in a secure sandbox.
Each tool is defined by:
- A unique tool ID
- A description of its purpose
- An input schema describing accepted parameters
- Optional metadata
- Enabled/disabled runtime availability
Artifact-based tools
Some built-in tools work with artifacts stored in a session:
- Document conversion tool: Converts file artifacts (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, images with OCR support) to markdown and produces new artifacts containing the extracted content.
These built-in tools operate on artifact references rather than file content, supporting multi-step workflows where agents process or index user-uploaded documents.
Request
Responses
- 201
- 400
- 403
- 409
The tool has been created successfully.
Tool creation request was malformed or contains invalid configuration.
Permissions do not allow creating tools.
A tool with this name already exists.