Running Tools

Tools are API proxy RDAs that wrap external services with payment handling.

How Tools Work

You provide input parameters
The tool calls an external API
The response is transformed and returned
Payment is handled automatically

Tool Features

API Wrapping

Tools wrap existing APIs:

HTTP methods - GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
Authentication - API keys, Bearer tokens, Basic auth
Headers - Custom request headers

Request Transformation

Inputs are transformed before sending:

Variable substitution
JSON formatting
Query parameter building

Response Transformation

API responses are processed:

Extract relevant fields
Format output
Handle errors gracefully

Running a Tool

Step 1: Review the Schema

Check what inputs the tool requires:

Endpoint-specific parameters
Required vs optional fields
Data format expectations

Step 2: Provide Inputs

Fill in the input form:

Query parameters - For search/filter
Resource identifiers - For lookups
Data payloads - For POST requests

Step 3: Execute

Click Run Tool:

Request is built from your inputs
Tool calls the external API
Response is processed
Results displayed in console

Tool Output

JSON Response

Most tools return structured JSON:


{
  "data": {
    "id": "...",
    "results": [...],
    "metadata": {...}
  },
  "metadata": {
    "source": "api-provider",
    "timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }
}

Formatted Display

Tools may provide formatted views:

Tables for lists
Charts for data visualization
Markdown for text

Common Tool Categories

Data Lookup

Company information
Contact enrichment
Market data

Analytics

Social media metrics
Usage analytics
Engagement tracking

External Services

AI model inference
Document processing
Data aggregation

Integrations

CRM data access
Marketing platform APIs
Communication services

Rate Limits

Tools may have rate limits:

Per-minute limits - Maximum calls per minute
Daily limits - Maximum calls per day
Shown in details - Check before running

Authentication

Tools handle auth automatically:

API Key - Stored securely, injected in requests
Bearer Token - OAuth-style authentication
Basic Auth - Username/password

You don’t need to provide credentials - the tool creator configures these.

Error Responses

API Errors

Rate Limited - Too many requests
Not Found - Resource doesn’t exist
Unauthorized - API credentials invalid

What to Do

Check your inputs are valid
Wait and retry for rate limits
Try an alternative tool if persistent