Platform Tools

Enable built-in platform tools like Tavily web search to enhance your AI agent’s capabilities without additional setup.

Overview

Platform tools are pre-built capabilities that run on Astralform’s backend. Enable them with a single click - no MCP server configuration needed.

Available Tools

Tavily Search

Web search powered by Tavily AI.

Capabilities:

• Real-time web search
• News search
• Answer extraction

Configuration:

1. Go to Agents and click an agent
2. On the Tools tab, enable Tavily Search
3. Enter your Tavily API key (get one at tavily.com)

Example Usage:

User: What's the latest news about AI?
AI: [Uses tavily_search tool]
    Here are the latest AI news headlines...

Enabling Platform Tools

Platform tools are enabled and assigned per agent:

1. Go to Agents and click an agent
2. On the Tools tab, find the tool you want to enable
3. Toggle it On
4. Enter any required API keys
5. Click Save

For the Main Agent, all platform tools are auto-assigned. Named agents get only the tools you explicitly assign.

See Agents for more on resource assignment.

Tool Behavior

Platform tools are automatically invoked by the AI when relevant. You don’t need to explicitly request them.

How the AI Decides

1. User asks a question
2. AI analyzes if tools would help
3. If web search is needed, AI calls tavily_search
4. Results are incorporated into the response

Controlling Tool Usage

You can guide tool usage through system prompts:

Always search the web for current information when asked about:
- News and events
- Prices and availability
- Weather and forecasts

API Key Management

Platform tool API keys are stored securely and never exposed to clients.

To update a key:

1. Go to Agents and click any agent
2. On the Tools tab, click the edit icon next to the tool
3. Enter the new API key
4. Click Save

Cost Considerations

Tool	Cost Model
Tavily Search	Per search query

Monitor usage in Analytics.

Comparison: Platform vs MCP vs Client Tools

Type	Runs On	Managed By	Example
Platform	Astralform	Astralform	Web search
MCP	Your Server	You	Database queries
Client	iOS Device	Your App	Calendar access

Next Steps

Agents

Assign tools to specific agents

MCP Servers

Add custom server-side tools