agents-tool-designlisted

# Design tools an agent can use reliably > Shape tool names, parameters, descriptions, and error messages so the agent calls the right tool with valid arguments. **Track:** 🤖 AI Engineering · **Domain:** AI Agents · **Level:** intermediate · **~40 min** **Who this is for:** AI Engineers, ML Engineers, LLM App Developers, Agent Builders ## When to Use This Skill Shape tool names, parameters, descriptions, and error messages so the agent calls the right tool with valid arguments. Use it whenever a matching task appears in conversation — the agent loads these instructions on demand. ## Steps 1. One tool = one verb-noun responsibility; split anything doing two jobs 2. Write parameter descriptions that state format and units explicitly 3. Return structured errors the agent can self-correct from, never stack traces 4. Make tools idempotent where possible; require confirmation flags for destructive ones 5. Cap list results and paginate instead of dumping unbounded payloads 6. Test with adversarial phrasings that should NOT trigger the tool ## Common Pitfalls - Overlapping tools forcing the model to guess between near-duplicates - Boolean success returns hiding why a call failed ## Success Signals - Tool-call validity rate above 95% - Zero destructive calls without confirmation ## Commands **Install with skills CLI** ```bash npx skills add aniruddhaadak80/skills --skill agents-tool-design ``` **Install globally** ```bash npx skills add aniruddhaadak80/skills --skill ag