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Tools introduction

Tools are the building blocks of automation in Brixel. They are callable capabilities with a shared structure that makes them composable and scalable across Builders.

The shared tool contract

Every tool follows a common abstraction:

  • Input schema: what data the tool expects.
  • Internal parameters: configurable behavior (defaults, constraints, options).
  • Output schema: what the tool produces.

Because every tool exposes the same contract, Brixel can mix different tool types without losing consistency.

Tool types

  • Action
    A monolithic, ready-to-use tool (e.g., "Send an email").
  • Artifact
    A visual tool that introduces human interaction or displays results directly in the chat.
  • Procedure
    A composed tool that chains other tools together (e.g., "Download a Word file and convert it to PDF"). Procedures can include other procedures.
  • Variant
    A tool customized by a user (parameter overrides).
  • Toolbox
    A container that references many tools without loading them all directly into the Builder's active context. At runtime, the agent can call one specific referenced tool or combine several as a command-line-style execution chain.

How tools fit together