building-agent-toolslisted

# Building Tools for AI Agents ## Workflow 1. **Define Purpose** - Identify what agents need to accomplish with this tool - Determine if existing tools can be consolidated - Plan the tool's interface for agent consumption 2. **Design Interface** - Choose descriptive, namespaced tool names - Define parameters with clear types and descriptions - Design output format for maximum signal, minimum tokens 3. **Implement** - Build with token efficiency in mind - Add pagination, filtering, sensible defaults - Return semantic identifiers, not raw IDs 4. **Validate** - Test with real agent workflows - Check token consumption patterns - Verify error messages guide agents toward solutions ## Design Principles **Tool Consolidation** - More tools don't lead to better outcomes - Combine related operations into single tools - Example: `schedule_event` that checks availability AND creates event - Avoid simple CRUD-style tools that require multiple calls **Namespacing** - Prefix related tools with service name: `asana_projects_search`, `asana_users_search` - Group by domain to help agents distinguish functionality - Use consistent naming patterns across tool families **Meaningful Context** - Return high-signal information, not raw data dumps - Resolve cryptic UUIDs to human-readable identifiers - Include `response_format` parameter (concise/detailed) for flexibility - Surface relevant metadata agents need for next steps **Token Efficiency** - Implem