Configuring Built-in Tools | Solace Agent Mesh
Description: This guide provides instructions for enabling and configuring the built-in tools provided by Agent Mesh framework.

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# Configuring Built-in Tools

This guide provides instructions for enabling and configuring the built-in tools provided by Agent Mesh framework.

## Overview​

Built-in tools are pre-packaged functionalities that can be granted to agents without requiring custom Python code. These tools address common operations such as file management, data analysis, web requests, and multi-modal generation.

The Agent Mesh framework manages these tools through a central `tool_registry`, which is responsible for loading the tools, generating instructional prompts for the Large Language Model (LLM), and handling their execution in a consistent manner.

## Configuration Methods​

Tool configuration is managed within the `tools` list in an agent's `app_config` block in the corresponding YAML configuration file.

### Method 1: Enabling Tool Groups (Recommended)​

For efficient configuration, built-in tools are organized into logical groups. An entire group of related tools can be enabled with a single entry. This is the recommended approach for standard functionalities.

Example:

    # In your agent's app_config:
    tools:
      - tool_type: builtin-group
        group_name: "artifact_management"
      - tool_type: builtin-group
        group_name: "data_analysis"

Configuration:

Field | Type | Required | Description
--- | --- | --- | ---
`tool_type` | string | Yes | Must be `builtin-group`
`group_name` | string | Yes | Tool group identifier. Available groups: `artifact_management`, `data_analysis`, `web`, `audio`, `image`, `general`
`tool_config` | object | No | Group-specific configuration parameters

### Method 2: Enabling Individual Tools​

For more granular control over an agent's capabilities, specific tools can be enabled individually.

Example:

    # In your agent's app_config:
    tools:
      - tool_type: builtin
        tool_name: "web_request"
      - tool_type: builtin
        tool_name: "time_delay"

Configuration:

Field | Type | Required | Description
--- | --- | --- | ---
`tool_type` | string | Yes | Must be `builtin`
`tool_name` | string | Yes | Specific tool name to enable
`tool_config` | object | No | Tool-specific configuration parameters

Note

The Agent Mesh framework automatically handles duplicate tool registrations. If a tool group is enabled and a tool from that group is also listed individually, the tool is only loaded once.

## Available Tool Groups and Tools​

The following sections detail the available tool groups and the individual tools they contain.

### Artifact Management​

Group Name: `artifact_management`

Description: Tools for creating, loading, and managing file artifacts.

Individual Tools:

- `append_to_artifact`
- `list_artifacts`
- `load_artifact`
- `apply_embed_and_create_artifact`
- `extract_content_from_artifact`

info

For a more in-depth guide on using artifact management tools, refer to the Artifact Management documentation.

### Data Analysis​

Group Name: `data_analysis`

Description: Tools for querying, transforming, and visualizing data.

Individual Tools:

- `query_data_with_sql`
- `create_sqlite_db`
- `transform_data_with_jq`
- `create_chart_from_plotly_config`

info

For a more in-depth guide on using Data Analysis tools, refer to the Data Analysis Tools documentation.

### Web Search​

Group Name: `web_search`

Description: Tools for searching the web and retrieving current information.

Individual Tools:

- `web_search_google`

info

For a more in-depth guide on using web search tools, refer to the Research Tools documentation.

### Research​

Group Name: `research`

Description: Advanced research tools for comprehensive information gathering.

Individual Tools:

- `deep_research`

info

For a more in-depth guide on using the deep research tool, refer to the Research Tools documentation.

### Web​

Group Name: `web`

Description: Tools for interacting with web resources.

Individual Tools:

- `web_request`

### Audio​

Group Name: `audio`

Description: Tools for generating and transcribing audio content.

Individual Tools:

- `text_to_speech`
- `multi_speaker_text_to_speech`
- `transcribe_audio`

info

For a more in-depth guide on using audio tools, refer to the Audio Tools documentation.

### Image​

Group Name: `image`

Description: Tools for generating and analyzing images.

Individual Tools:

- `create_image_from_description`
- `describe_image`
- `edit_image_with_gemini`
- `describe_audio`

### General​

Group Name: `general`

Description: General-purpose utility tools.

Individual Tools:

- `convert_file_to_markdown`
- `mermaid_diagram_generator`

## Complete Configuration Example​

Below is a comprehensive example of a well-formed `app_config` that uses the unified method to enable a mix of tool groups and individual tools.

    # In your agent's YAML file:
    app_config:
      namespace: "myorg/dev"
      agent_name: "DataAndWebAgent"
      model: "gemini-1.5-pro"
      instruction: "You are an agent that can analyze data and browse the web."

      # --- Unified Tool Configuration ---
      tools:
        # Enable a group of tools
        - tool_type: builtin-group
          group_name: "data_analysis"

        # Enable another group
        - tool_type: builtin-group
          group_name: "artifact_management"

        # Enable a single, specific tool
        - tool_type: builtin
          tool_name: "web_request"

      # ... other service configurations (session_service, artifact_service, etc.)

## Additional Tool Types​

For extending agent capabilities beyond built-in tools:

- Custom Python Tools: See Creating Python Tools for creating custom tools with your own business logic
- MCP Integration: See MCP Integration Tutorial for connecting to Model Context Protocol servers