| name | ADK Tools |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks about "adding a tool", "FunctionTool", "creating tools", "MCP integration", "OpenAPI tools", "built-in tools", "google_search tool", "code_execution tool", "long-running tools", "async tools", "third-party tools", "LangChain tools", "computer use", or needs guidance on extending agent capabilities with custom functions, API integrations, or external tool frameworks. |
| version | 3.0.0 |
ADK Tools
Guide for extending agent capabilities with tools. Covers custom functions, API integrations, and external frameworks.
When to Use
- Adding custom Python functions as tools
- Integrating external APIs
- Connecting MCP servers
- Using built-in ADK tools
- Handling long-running operations
- Computer use capabilities
- LangChain/LlamaIndex tool integration
When NOT to Use
- Initial project setup → Use
@adk-core instead
- Creating agents → Use
@adk-core instead
- Multi-agent coordination → Use
@adk-orchestration instead
- Security policies → Use
@adk-production instead
Key Concepts
FunctionTool wraps Python functions into agent-callable tools. Docstrings become tool descriptions, type hints define parameters.
Built-in Tools like google_search and code_execution are pre-configured and ready to use via tool name.
MCP Integration connects Model Context Protocol servers as tool sources. Configure in adk.yaml or via .mcp.json.
OpenAPI Tools auto-generate from API specifications. ADK creates typed tools from your OpenAPI schemas.
Long-Running Tools use async patterns or callbacks for operations that exceed typical timeouts.
Computer Use Tools provide screen, keyboard, and mouse control for desktop automation tasks.
Third-Party Frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex expose their tool ecosystems to ADK agents.
Implementation Pattern
from adk.tools import FunctionTool
from adk import LlmAgent
def calculate_area(length: float, width: float) -> float:
"""Calculate rectangle area."""
return length * width
area_tool = FunctionTool(calculate_area)
agent = LlmAgent(tools=[area_tool])
References
Detailed guides with code examples:
references/tools-function.md - Custom Python toolsreferences/tools-builtin.md - Pre-configured toolsreferences/tools-mcp.md - MCP server integrationreferences/tools-openapi.md - OpenAPI schemasreferences/tools-async.md - Long-running operationsreferences/tools-computer-use.md - Desktop automationreferences/tools-third-party.md - LangChain/LlamaIndex
