Tool chaining
Tool chaining is the sequential composition of multiple tool invocations, in which an earlier result informs or becomes input to a subsequent invocation.
AI Agents in Action, Second Edition
Tool chaining is the process in which the output of one tool call becomes the input to a subsequent tool call.
- How it is used
- Sequences dependent tool calls so agents can break down and complete multi-step goals.
- How deep it goes
- Defines dependent and parallel calls, demonstrates a research chain, and covers tracing, but defers advanced non-OpenAI API configuration.
- Examples
- Uses research-source lookup, travel booking, computer purchasing, and image creation to illustrate chained tasks and tools.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose/debug chains with OpenAI Traces and distinguish dependent sequences from parallel calls when designing agent workflows.
Read how AI Agents in Action, Second Edition explains tool chaining →
Software Testing with Generative AI
Tool chaining is a technique in which an agent passes the result of one tool invocation as input to a subsequent tool invocation.
- How it is used
- Coordinates database-oriented agent tasks by carrying outputs from one tool into another.
- How deep it goes
- Explains value retrieval, context passing, annotated parameters, and ordering guardrails, but does not guarantee model-selected execution order.
- Examples
- Demonstrates room creation, latest-room lookup, room-linked booking insertion, and database listing.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via annotated tool methods that return values and accept those values as parameters in later operations.
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Introduction to Generative AI, Second Edition
A chained tool call is a sequence in which the result of one tool invocation informs a subsequent invocation.
- How it is used
- Uses repeated tool calls to complete tasks that a single invocation cannot solve.
- How deep it goes
- Explains the mechanism and a worked scenario, then flags intermediate-result tracking without detailing its implementation.
- Examples
- Uses spreadsheet reading, sales analysis, and web search to find a location’s current review rating.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via an agent architecture to answer questions requiring successive file, analysis, and web-search actions.
Read how Introduction to Generative AI, Second Edition explains tool chaining →
Related concepts
- trajectoryused by · A trajectory is an ordered sequence of states, actions, events, or operations that records or describes progression through successive steps or over time.
- tool usageuses · Tool use is an AI system's invocation of external software functions, services, or other capabilities to obtain information or perform actions.
- tooluses · A tool is an instrument or software capability that enables a person or system to perform a task, obtain information, or interact with resources.
- AI agentused by · An AI agent is a computational system that uses artificial intelligence to interpret information, select actions, and pursue goals through interaction with an environment.
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