Tool Calling
A model can generate a request for an external operation; tool calling connects that request to an application.
Tool calling lets a model request an operation through a structured interface. The application executes the request and makes the result available to the model.
[Anthropic]In practice
A model requests an order lookup with an order number; the application returns the matching status.
[Anthropic]A little deeper
Describing a tool and requesting it are different from actually executing it. [Anthropic]
Helpful to know: Language Model · Tool