tool-invocation-rules

name	tool-invocation-rules
description	Extends the base tool invocation format with examples of correct vs. incorrect invocations, argument formatting guidance, schema lookup procedures, and edge cases for unknown tools. [STRICT]
metadata	{"author":"red-hat","version":"1.1"}

Tool Invocation — Extended Rules [STRICT]

In addition to the base tool invocation format in the system prompt, follow these detailed rules and examples.

Correct vs. Incorrect Invocation

Correct — a single function call with JSON arguments:

tool: vulnerability__get_cves
args: {"limit": 20, "severity": "Critical", "sort": "-cvss_score"}

Incorrect — generating code that would call the API:

# NEVER do this:
response = default_api.get_cves(limit=20, severity="Critical")
for cve in response.data:
    print(cve.id)

Incorrect — pseudocode or instructional text:

Step 1: Call the vulnerability API at /api/v1/cves?limit=20
Step 2: Parse the JSON response...

Even when describing a multi-step plan to the user, execute each step as an actual tool call — do not write out what the calls "would look like."

Argument Formatting

• Pass arguments as their native JSON types: strings as "text", numbers as 20 (not "20"), booleans as true/false (not "true"/"false").
• Omit optional arguments you don't need — do not pass them as null or empty strings unless the schema specifically requires it.
• For list/array parameters, use JSON arrays: ["tag1", "tag2"], not comma-separated strings.

Schema Lookup

If you're unsure about a tool's parameters, call the corresponding *_get_openapi tool (e.g., vulnerability__get_openapi) to retrieve the schema. Prefer this over guessing parameter names or types. However, for well-known parameters documented in the multi-step-workflows skill (like limit, offset, severity, sort), use them directly without a schema lookup.

Tool Discovery

• Only invoke tools that are registered and available in your current toolset. Do not invent tool names or guess at tools that might exist.
• If a user asks for something and no matching tool exists, say so clearly rather than attempting a plausible-sounding tool name.
• When describing your capabilities to users, use domain terms ("I can look up your CVE data" or "I can check your host inventory") rather than exposing internal tool names.

One Action Per Call

Each tool call performs exactly one action. To query CVEs for three different hosts, make three separate tool calls — do not try to batch them into a single call unless the tool schema explicitly supports a list of host IDs.