add-agent-tool

Add a tool function to the Medox agent. Use when creating a tool file, registering it in the API loop, and writing its test.

SKILL.md

GitHub

Skill: Add a New Agent Tool

Steps

  1. Create the tool file at src/medox/agent/tools/tool_<name>.py:

    """One-line description of the data source and lookup strategy."""
    
    from medox.pipeline.config_pipeline import PipelineSettings
    
    def <tool_name>(<param>: str) -> str:
        """
        <What this tool does — written for the LLM, not a human developer.>
    
        Include:
        - What the parameter means and expected format
        - Example values or class names the LLM should pass
        - What the tool returns and how to interpret it
    
        Example: pass 'ANTIVITAMINES K' for warfarine, 'STATINES' for simvastatine.
        """
        settings = PipelineSettings()
        # ... implementation
    
  2. Register the tool in src/medox/api/agent.py (TOOLS) and in _dispatch_tool in src/medox/api/app.py.

  3. Docstring rules (critical — the LLM uses this to decide when/how to call the tool):

    • Written in English
    • Explain when to use this tool vs other tools
    • Give concrete input examples (especially for ANSM class names)
    • Describe the return format
  4. Write the test at tests/agent/test_tool_<name>.py:

    def test_<tool_name>_returns_expected():
        result = <tool_name>.invoke({"<param>": "<known_value>"})
        assert "<expected_substring>" in result
    
    def test_<tool_name>_handles_unknown():
        result = <tool_name>.invoke({"<param>": "nonexistent_xyz"})
        assert result  # returns graceful message, not exception
    
  5. Update .claude/rules/agent.md — add the tool to the tools table.

  6. Validate:

    uv run pytest tests/agent/test_tool_<name>.py -v
    uv run pytest tests/agent/ -v
    

Rules

  • Tool file name: tool_<name>.py — matches the @tool function name
  • One @tool per file
  • Never raise exceptions — return a descriptive string on error
  • Requires Docker stack running for PostgreSQL tools