Tools

Summary

Purpose: Reference for using the Settings → Tools interface
Audience: Developers, admins
Prereqs: /docs/concepts/tools-are-scripts

The Tools settings page (Settings → Tools) lets you configure which FileMaker scripts are available as tools that the AI can call during conversations. This page is a reference for using the interface—for understanding how tools work and creating them, see Tools are Scripts.

Tools Configuration Interface

The Tools settings page provides a table view of all configured tools with management capabilities.

Table Features

Search: Filter tools by name or script name
Status Filter: Show all, enabled only, or disabled only
Type Filter: Show all, text output, or component output
Enable/Disable Toggle: Quickly enable or disable tools without editing
Actions Menu: Edit or delete tool configurations

Adding a New Tool

Click the "Add Tool" button to open the configuration modal. The modal has four tabs:

Basic Info: Core tool identification and settings
Parameters: Define what data the tool expects
Tool Schema: Preview the OpenAI-compatible schema sent to the AI
Output: Configure how results are displayed

Basic Info Tab

Configure the core identification and behavior settings for your tool.

Tool Name

Format: Lowercase with underscores (e.g., get_weather, create_invoice)
Purpose: This becomes the function name the AI uses to call your tool
Example: search_customers, update_order_status

Description

Critical: The AI uses this description to decide when to call your tool
Best Practices:
- Be specific about what the tool does
- Mention when it should be used
- Include example use cases
- Example: "Searches for customer records by name, email, or phone number. Use when users ask to find customers or look up contact information."

Script Name

Format: The exact name of your FileMaker script (case-sensitive)
Purpose: Maps the tool to the script that will execute
Example: HandleCustomerSearch, ExecuteInvoiceCreation

Enabled

Default: Enabled (checked)
Purpose: Control whether the tool is available to the AI
Use Case: Temporarily disable tools without deleting them

Require Confirmation

Default: Disabled (unchecked)
Purpose: Show a confirmation dialog before executing the tool
Use Case: Enable for destructive operations (delete records, modify critical data) or sensitive actions

Parameters Tab

Define the parameters your tool accepts. Parameters use the OpenAPI schema standard, which the AI uses to understand what data to pass to your script.

Parameter Types

String: Text values
Number: Numeric values
Boolean: True/false values
Object: Nested objects (use dot notation for nested properties)
Array: Lists of values

Dot Notation for Nested Objects

Use dot notation to define nested parameter structures:

contact.first_name → Creates nested object: { contact: { first_name: "..." } }
user.profile.email → Creates deeper nesting: { user: { profile: { email: "..." } } }

When the AI calls your tool with nested parameters, they're passed to your FileMaker script as JSON in the script parameter.

Required Parameters

Mark parameters as required only when absolutely necessary. Optional parameters allow the AI more flexibility in tool usage.

Enum Values

For string parameters with limited valid values, define enum options:

Example: Status parameter with values: ["active", "inactive", "pending"]
Benefit: Restricts input to valid options and helps the AI understand valid values

Parameter Best Practices

Use descriptive names that clearly indicate purpose
Provide clear descriptions for each parameter
Use dot notation for logically grouped data
Mark parameters required only when essential
Use enums for constrained string values
Test your tool after configuring parameters

Tool Schema Tab

This tab shows a preview of the OpenAI-compatible schema that will be sent to the AI model. This schema is generated from your Basic Info and Parameters configuration.

What you see:

The tool name (function name)
Tool description
Parameter schema with types and descriptions

Why it's useful:

Verify your configuration is correct
See exactly what the AI will receive
Validate parameter structure before saving

Output Tab

Configure how your tool's results are displayed. There are two response types:

Default (Text Response)

How it works: Tool results are sent back to the AI model, which interprets them and crafts a natural language response
Use when:
- Results need AI interpretation
- You want conversational responses
- Data doesn't fit predefined component formats
Example: A search tool returns raw data, and the AI explains "I found 5 customers matching your criteria..."

Component Display

How it works: Tool results are rendered directly using a predefined display component
Use when:
- You want structured visualizations (tables, charts, KPIs)
- Data format matches available components
- You want immediate visual feedback
Available Components: See Tool Components for complete documentation with expected data formats

Available components include:

Data Table (data-table) - Simple column/row format
Data Table - DAPI Format (data-table-filemaker) - FileMaker Data API response format
Data Table - Pipe Separated (data-table-psv) - Pipe-separated values
Key-Value Display (key-value-display) - Key-value pairs with descriptions
Markdown Viewer (markdown-viewer) - Formatted markdown content
FileMaker Record (filemaker-record) - Record info with navigation
KPI Display (kpi-display) - Key performance indicators with trends
Data Visualization (data-visualization) - Interactive charts and tables

Expected Format Display

When you select a component, the modal shows the expected data format with a copy button. Copy this format to reference when writing your FileMaker script. For detailed component documentation and expected formats, see Tool Components.

/docs/concepts/tools-are-scripts - Understand how tools work and how to create them
/docs/reference/tool-components/ - Detailed documentation for each display component
/docs/reference/settings/mcp-servers - Configure external MCP servers that provide additional tools
/docs/integration/configuration-scripts/chat-tools - Advanced: Override tools per file via script