tool_use.md 1.7 KB
Tool Use with Claude
Source: anthropics/claude-cookbooks/tool_use
Overview
Learn how to integrate Claude with external tools and functions to extend its capabilities.
Key Examples
Customer Service Agent
- Location:
tool_use/customer_service_agent.ipynb - Description: Build an intelligent customer service agent using Claude with tool integration
- Key Concepts: Function calling, state management, conversation flow
Calculator Integration
- Location:
tool_use/calculator_tool.ipynb - Description: Integrate external calculation tools with Claude
- Key Concepts: Tool definitions, parameter passing, result handling
Memory Demo
- Location:
tool_use/memory_demo/ - Description: Implement persistent memory for Claude conversations
- Key Concepts: Context management, state persistence
Best Practices
- Tool Definition: Define clear, specific tool schemas
- Error Handling: Implement robust error handling for tool calls
- Validation: Validate tool inputs and outputs
- Context: Maintain context across tool interactions
Common Patterns
# Tool definition example
tools = [{
"name": "calculator",
"description": "Performs basic arithmetic operations",
"input_schema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"operation": {"type": "string"},
"a": {"type": "number"},
"b": {"type": "number"}
},
"required": ["operation", "a", "b"]
}
}]