Tool calling for AI agents

AI agents become useful when they can act in the systems your users already use: HubSpot, Gmail, Slack, Linear, Notion, Salesforce, and the rest. The hard part is not just calling an API. It is OAuth, token refresh, per-user permissions, rate limits, logging, and keeping credentials out of the model loop.

Tenklo handles that plumbing. Users authorize integrations through Tenklo, you expose selected action functions as tools, and agents call those action functions through the agent sessions API.

When this fitsCopy Anchor Link

Use Tenklo for AI tool calling when:

• Your agent needs to fetch or change data in external APIs.
• Tool calls must run with each user's own credentials.
• You want logs, retries, rate-limit handling, and a deployable runtime.
• You need a catalog of actions for agentic tool calling now, with room for custom action functions later.
• You want one MCP server URL for Nango-hosted tools.

For RAG-style workflows where data should be replicated before the agent needs it, use Sync external API data.

How Tenklo fits inCopy Anchor Link

1. Your user authorizes an integration with Tenklo.
2. You use catalog action functions directly or deploy custom action functions for allowed operations.
3. Your agent lists or receives those action functions as tools.
4. The agent asks Tenklo to execute an action function for the right connection.
5. Tenklo runs the external API call with the user's credentials and logs the execution.

This keeps provider credentials in Tenklo and gives you a common tool surface across frameworks.

Technical setupCopy Anchor Link

Tenklo supports both direct action function execution and MCP-based tool discovery through agent sessions.

What to read nextCopy Anchor Link

• Tool calling & MCP - connect Tenklo action functions to agents, LLM SDKs, and MCP clients.
• Action functions - build the action functions agents can call.
• List functions - list available functions programmatically.
• Functions guide - create, test, deploy, and trigger functions.
• Auth guide - let users authorize external APIs.