Tools
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This Langflow feature is currently in public preview. Development is ongoing, and the features and functionality are subject to change. Langflow, and the use of such, is subject to the DataStax Preview Terms. |
Tools are typically connected to agent components at the Tools port. Agents use LLMs as a reasoning engine to decide which of the connected tool components to use to solve a problem.
Tools in agentic functions are, essentially, functions that the agent can call to perform tasks or access external resources.
A function is wrapped as a Tool object, with a common interface the agent understands.
Agents become aware of tools through tool registration, where the agent is provided a list of available tools, typically at agent initialization. The Tool object’s description tells the agent what the tool can do.
The agent then uses a connected LLM to reason through the problem to decide which tool is best for the job.
Use a tool in a flow
Tools are typically connected to agent components at the Tools port.
The Simple Agent template uses URL and Calculator tools connected to an agent component to answer a user’s questions. The OpenAI LLM acts as a brain for the agent to decide which tool to use.
To make a component into a tool that an agent can use, enable Tool mode in the component. Enabling Tool mode modifies a component input to accept calls from an agent. If the component you want to connect to an agent doesn’t have a Tool mode option, you can modify the component’s inputs to become a tool. For an example, see Make any component a tool.
arXiv
This component searches and retrieves papers from arXiv.org.
Parameters
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
search_query |
Search Query |
The search query for arXiv papers, for example, 'quantum computing'. |
search_type |
Search Field |
The field to search in. |
max_results |
Max Results |
Maximum number of results to return. |
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
papers |
Papers |
List of retrieved arXiv papers. |
Astra DB tool
This component creates a tool an Agent can use to retrieve data from a DataStax Astra DB collection.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool_name |
String |
The name of the tool |
tool_description |
String |
The description of the tool |
namespace |
String |
The namespace within Astra where the collection is stored (default: "default_keyspace") |
collection_name |
String |
The name of the collection within Astra DB |
token |
SecretString |
Authentication token for accessing Astra DB |
api_endpoint |
String |
API endpoint URL for the Astra DB service |
projection_attributes |
String |
Attributes to return, separated by commas (default: "*") |
tool_params |
List[Dict] |
Attributes to filter and description for the model |
static_filters |
List[Dict] |
Attributes to filter and corresponding values |
number_of_results |
Integer |
Number of results to return (default: 5) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool |
StructuredTool |
Astra DB search tool for use in LangChain |
Astra DB CQL tool
This component creates a tool an Agent can use to retrieve data from a DataStax Astra DB CQL table.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool_name |
String |
The name of the tool |
tool_description |
String |
The tool description to be passed to the model |
keyspace |
String |
The keyspace name within Astra DB where the data is stored |
table_name |
String |
The name of the table within Astra DB where the data is stored |
token |
SecretString |
Authentication token for accessing Astra DB |
api_endpoint |
String |
API endpoint URL for the Astra DB service |
projection_fields |
String |
Attributes to return, separated by commas (default: "*") |
partition_keys |
List[Dict] |
Field name and description for partition keys |
clustering_keys |
List[Dict] |
Field name and description for clustering keys |
static_filters |
List[Dict] |
Field name and value for static filters |
number_of_results |
Integer |
Number of results to return (default: 5) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool |
StructuredTool |
Astra DB CQL search tool for use in LangChain |
Bing Search API
This component allows you to call the Bing Search API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
bing_subscription_key |
SecretString |
Bing API subscription key |
input_value |
String |
Search query input |
bing_search_url |
String |
Custom Bing Search URL (optional) |
k |
Integer |
Number of search results to return |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Bing Search tool for use in LangChain |
Calculator Tool
This component allows you to evaluate basic arithmetic expressions. It supports addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation. The tool uses a secure evaluation method that prevents the execution of arbitrary Python code.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
expression |
String |
The arithmetic expression to evaluate (for example, 4*4*(33/22)+12-20). |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
result |
Tool |
Calculator tool for use in LangChain. |
DuckDuckGo search
This component performs web searches using the DuckDuckGo search engine with result-limiting capabilities.
Parameters
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
input_value |
Search Query |
The search query to execute with DuckDuckGo. |
max_results |
Max Results |
The maximum number of search results to return. Default: |
max_snippet_length |
Max Snippet Length |
The maximum length of each result snippet. Default: |
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
data |
Data |
List of search results as Data objects containing snippets and full content. |
text |
Text |
Search results formatted as a single text string. |
Exa Search
This component provides an Exa Search toolkit for search and content retrieval.
Parameters
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
metaphor_api_key |
Exa Search API Key |
API key for Exa Search, entered as a password. |
use_autoprompt |
Use Autoprompt |
Whether to use the autoprompt feature. (default: true) |
search_num_results |
Search Number of Results |
Number of results to return for search. (default: 5) |
similar_num_results |
Similar Number of Results |
Number of similar results to return. (default: 5) |
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
tools |
Tools |
List of search tools provided by the toolkit. |
Glean Search API
This component allows you to call the Glean Search API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
glean_api_url |
String |
URL of the Glean API |
glean_access_token |
SecretString |
Access token for Glean API authentication |
query |
String |
Search query input |
page_size |
Integer |
Number of results per page (default: 10) |
request_options |
Dict |
Additional options for the API request (optional) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Glean Search tool for use in LangChain |
Google search API
This component allows you to call the Google Search API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
google_api_key |
SecretString |
Google API key for authentication |
google_cse_id |
SecretString |
Google Custom Search Engine ID |
input_value |
String |
Search query input |
k |
Integer |
Number of search results to return |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Google Search tool for use in LangChain |
Google serper API
This component allows you to call the Serper.dev Google Search API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
serper_api_key |
SecretString |
API key for Serper.dev authentication |
input_value |
String |
Search query input |
k |
Integer |
Number of search results to return |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Google Serper search tool for use in LangChain |
MCP server
This component connects to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and exposes the MCP server’s tools as tools.
To use the MCP server component with an agent component, follow these steps:
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Add the MCP server component to your workflow.
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In the MCP server component, in the MCP Command field, enter the command to start your MCP server. uvx is included with DataStax Langflow.
npxserver commands are not available in DataStax Langflow. For example, to start a Fetch server, the command is:uvx mcp-server-fetch -
Click to get the server’s list of Tools.
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In the Tool field, select the server tool you want the component to use. The available fields change based on the selected tool. For information on the parameters, see the MCP server’s documentation.
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In the MCP server component, enable Tool mode. Connect the MCP server component’s Toolset port to an Agent component’s Tools port. The flow looks similar to this:
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Open the Playground. Ask the agent to summarize recent tech news. The agent calls the MCP server function fetch and returns the summary. This confirms the MCP server is connected, and its tools are being used in Langflow.
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SSE mode is not available in DataStax Langflow. If you want to use SSE mode, use Langflow OSS. |
MCP Tools (stdio)
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This component is deprecated as of Langflow version 1.3. Instead, use the MCP server component. |
MCP Tools (SSE)
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This component is deprecated as of Langflow version 1.3. Instead, use the MCP server component. |
Python code structured tool
This component creates a structured tool from Python code using a dataclass.
The component dynamically updates its configuration based on the provided Python code, allowing for custom function arguments and descriptions.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool_code |
String |
Python code for the tool’s dataclass |
tool_name |
String |
Name of the tool |
tool_description |
String |
Description of the tool |
return_direct |
Boolean |
Whether to return the function output directly |
tool_function |
String |
Selected function for the tool |
global_variables |
Dict |
Global variables or data for the tool |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
result_tool |
Tool |
Structured tool created from the Python code |
Python REPL Tool
This component creates a Python REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) tool for executing Python code.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name |
String |
The name of the tool (default: "python_repl") |
description |
String |
A description of the tool’s functionality |
global_imports |
List[String] |
List of modules to import globally (default: ["math"]) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool |
Tool |
Python REPL tool for use in LangChain |
Retriever Tool
This component creates a tool for interacting with a retriever in LangChain.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
retriever |
BaseRetriever |
The retriever to interact with |
name |
String |
The name of the tool |
description |
String |
A description of the tool’s functionality |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool |
Tool |
Retriever tool for use in LangChain |
SearXNG Search Tool
This component creates a tool for searching using SearXNG, a metasearch engine.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
url |
String |
The URL of the SearXNG instance |
max_results |
Integer |
Maximum number of results to return |
categories |
List[String] |
Categories to search in |
language |
String |
Language for the search results |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
result_tool |
Tool |
SearXNG search tool for use in LangChain |
Search API
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This component is in Legacy, which means it is no longer in active development as of Langflow version 1.3. |
This component calls the searchapi.io API. It can be used to search the web for information.
For more information, see the SearchAPI documentation.
Parameters
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
engine |
Engine |
The search engine to use (default: "google") |
api_key |
SearchAPI API Key |
The API key for authenticating with SearchAPI |
input_value |
Input |
The search query or input for the API call |
search_params |
Search parameters |
Additional parameters for customizing the search |
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
data |
Search Results |
List of Data objects containing search results |
tool |
Search API Tool |
A Tool object for use in LangChain workflows |
Serp Search API
This component creates a tool for searching using the Serp API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
serpapi_api_key |
SecretString |
API key for Serp API authentication |
input_value |
String |
Search query input |
search_params |
Dict |
Additional search parameters (optional) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Serp API search tool for use in LangChain |
Tavily search API
This component creates a tool for performing web searches using the Tavily API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
api_key |
SecretString |
Tavily API Key |
Yes |
- |
query |
String |
Search query |
Yes |
- |
search_depth |
Enum |
Depth of search (BASIC/ADVANCED) |
No |
BASIC |
topic |
Enum |
Search category (GENERAL/NEWS) |
No |
GENERAL |
max_results |
Integer |
Maximum number of results |
No |
5 |
include_images |
Boolean |
Include related images |
No |
False |
include_answer |
Boolean |
Include short answer |
No |
False |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of search results |
tool |
Tool |
Tavily search tool for use in LangChain |
Wikidata
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This component is in Legacy, which means it is no longer in active development as of Langflow version 1.3. |
This component performs a search using the Wikidata API.
Parameters
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
query |
Query |
The text query for similarity search on Wikidata. |
| Name | Display Name | Info |
|---|---|---|
data |
Data |
The search results from Wikidata API as a list of Data objects. |
text |
Message |
The search results formatted as a text message. |
Wikipedia API
|
This component is in Legacy, which means it is no longer in active development as of Langflow version 1.3. |
This component creates a tool for searching and retrieving information from Wikipedia.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
input_value |
String |
Search query input |
lang |
String |
Language code for Wikipedia (default: "en") |
k |
Integer |
Number of results to return |
load_all_available_meta |
Boolean |
Whether to load all available metadata (advanced) |
doc_content_chars_max |
Integer |
Maximum number of characters for document content (advanced) |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List of Wikipedia search results |
tool |
Tool |
Wikipedia search tool for use in LangChain |
Wolfram Alpha API
This component creates a tool for querying the Wolfram Alpha API.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
input_value |
String |
Query input for Wolfram Alpha |
app_id |
SecretString |
Wolfram Alpha API App ID |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
results |
List[Data] |
List containing the Wolfram Alpha API response |
tool |
Tool |
Wolfram Alpha API tool for use in LangChain |
Yahoo Finance News Tool
This component creates a tool for retrieving news from Yahoo Finance.
Parameters
This component does not have any input parameters.
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
tool |
Tool |
Yahoo Finance News tool for use in LangChain |