create-local-tool

name	create-local-tool
description	Scaffold a new local tool for the voice agent pipeline with capability-based registration, executor function, ToolDefinition, and tests

What I Do

Scaffold all the files needed for a new local tool in the voice agent pipeline. This includes:

1. Tool implementation (backend/voice-agent/app/tools/builtin/{name}_tool.py)
2. Catalog registration (add to ALL_LOCAL_TOOLS in catalog.py)
3. Unit tests (backend/voice-agent/tests/test_{name}_tool.py)

No pipeline code or CDK changes are needed -- the capability system handles registration automatically.

When to Use Me

Use this skill when you need to create a new tool that runs inside the voice agent container and may need access to pipeline internals (transport, SIP session, DTMF, recording control). For remote tools that run as separate services, use the create-capability-agent skill instead.

Reference

Read docs/guides/adding-a-local-tool.md for the complete developer guide. Templates below are derived from that guide and the shipped time_tool and transfer_tool implementations.

Steps

1. Gather Requirements

Ask the user for:

• Tool name (snake_case, e.g., hangup_call). This becomes the function name the LLM sees.
• What it does -- this becomes the description field, which is critical for LLM tool selection.
• Parameters -- for each parameter: name, type, description, required?, enum values?
• Capabilities needed -- does it need transport, SIP session, DTMF, recording control, or env vars? See the capability table in the guide.
• Return value -- what data should the tool return to the LLM?

Check existing tool names to avoid conflicts:

Name	Source	Agent
get_current_time	Local	Voice Agent
hangup_call	Local	Voice Agent
transfer_to_agent	Local	Voice Agent
search_knowledge_base	A2A	KB Agent (backend/agents/knowledge-base-agent/)
lookup_customer	A2A	CRM Agent (backend/agents/crm-agent/)
create_support_case	A2A	CRM Agent
add_case_note	A2A	CRM Agent
verify_account_number	A2A	CRM Agent
verify_recent_transaction	A2A	CRM Agent

2. Create the Tool File

Create backend/voice-agent/app/tools/builtin/{name}_tool.py:

"""Description of this tool.

Capability requirements:
    - List each capability and why it's needed
"""

from typing import Any, Dict

from ..capabilities import PipelineCapability
from ..context import ToolContext
from ..result import ToolResult, success_result, error_result
from ..schema import ToolCategory, ToolDefinition, ToolParameter


async def {name}_executor(
    arguments: Dict[str, Any],
    context: ToolContext,
) -> ToolResult:
    """Execute the tool.

    Args:
        arguments: Validated parameters from the LLM
        context: ToolContext with call_id, session_id, transport, etc.

    Returns:
        ToolResult via success_result() or error_result()
    """
    # Tool logic here
    return success_result({"key": "value"})


{name}_tool = ToolDefinition(
    name="{tool_name}",
    description="...",
    category=ToolCategory.SYSTEM,
    parameters=[...],
    executor={name}_executor,
    timeout_seconds=5.0,
    requires=frozenset({PipelineCapability.BASIC}),
)

Key requirements:

• Executor must be async def
• Return ToolResult via success_result() or error_result()
• Write a specific description -- the LLM uses this to decide when to call the tool
• Set requires to the minimum set of capabilities needed
• If the tool needs transport access, use context.transport
• If it needs the SIP session ID, use context.sip_session_id

3. Add to the Catalog

Edit backend/voice-agent/app/tools/builtin/catalog.py:

from .{name}_tool import {name}_tool

ALL_LOCAL_TOOLS: List[ToolDefinition] = [
    time_tool,
    transfer_tool,
    hangup_tool,
    {name}_tool,  # <-- add here
]

4. Write Tests

Create backend/voice-agent/tests/test_{name}_tool.py:

"""Tests for {name}_tool."""

import pytest
from app.tools.builtin.{name}_tool import {name}_tool, {name}_executor
from app.tools.capabilities import PipelineCapability
from app.tools.context import ToolContext


class TestToolDefinition:
    def test_name(self):
        assert {name}_tool.name == "{tool_name}"

    def test_requires(self):
        assert {name}_tool.requires == frozenset({PipelineCapability.BASIC})

    def test_in_catalog(self):
        from app.tools.builtin.catalog import ALL_LOCAL_TOOLS
        assert {name}_tool in ALL_LOCAL_TOOLS


class TestToolExecutor:
    @pytest.fixture
    def context(self):
        return ToolContext(call_id="test-call", session_id="test-session")

    @pytest.mark.asyncio
    async def test_basic_execution(self, context):
        result = await {name}_executor({}, context)
        assert result.success is True

5. Run Tests

cd backend/voice-agent && .venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_{name}_tool.py -v

Also run the full suite to verify no regressions:

cd backend/voice-agent && .venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/ -v

6. Verify Checklist

Before finishing, verify:

• Tool name is unique (not in the conflict table above)
• Executor is async def and returns ToolResult
• requires declares the minimum capabilities needed
• description is specific enough for the LLM to know when to use it
• Tool is added to ALL_LOCAL_TOOLS in catalog.py
• Tests cover definition, capabilities, and executor logic
• Tests pass: pytest tests/test_{name}_tool.py -v