Function Calling
Letting a model request a tool by name with structured arguments.
Overview
Function calling lets a model emit a structured request - a named function and its arguments - which the application executes and returns. It solves the problem that a model cannot look anything up or change anything by itself, and asking it to produce the call as prose makes parsing unreliable. It exists because a constrained output format turns the model from a text generator into one component of a system, and it is the mechanism most agents are built on.
Technology Graph
How Function Calling connects to the rest of the stack.
Used by
- Chatbot application Applications Function Calling used by Chatbot High ✓ source
- Multi-Agent technique AI Agents Function Calling used by Multi-Agent High ✓ source