AI Agents & Tools
Tool-using agents let LLMs take actions and access live data, going beyond pure text generation.
Learn it
Start with OpenAI's function-calling guide to learn how a model produces a structured tool call that your code executes. Then work through the free Hugging Face Agents Course to build a full agent loop (thought/action/observation) with tools, memory, and multi-tool orchestration using runnable Python.
By the end you’ll be able to
- Define tools/functions the model can call and route to them
- Build an agent loop: think, act with a tool, observe, repeat
Free resources
Practice
Build an agent with at least two tools (e.g., a calculator and a lookup) that decides which to call for a given question and chains them when needed.
Build it — your output
A working tool-using agent that completes a multi-step task by calling functions you defined.
Prove it — check yourself
You’re ready to move on when you can honestly say yes to each:
- Can you expose a Python function as a tool the model can call?
- Can you implement the observe-and-continue agent loop?
- Can you explain the risks of letting an agent take actions autonomously?
Do it with AI
Use a free AI tool as your tutor and pair-programmer. Copy a prompt below into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini (for building, try Cursor or Copilot).
The habit: Try it yourself first — a little struggle is where the learning actually happens. Then ask for a hint before the answer — never copy blindly.
- Understand itClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
I'm a beginner learning "AI Agents & Tools". Explain it in simple terms with a real-world analogy, then ask me ONE question to check my understanding — don't reveal the answer.
- PracticeClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
Give me 3 short practice problems on "AI Agents & Tools" (my goal: define tools/functions the model can call and route to them), from easy to hard. Don't include the solutions yet — I'll try them first, then ask you to check.
- Get unstuckClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
I'm stuck on this exercise about "AI Agents & Tools": [paste your attempt here]. Give me ONE small hint to move forward — do NOT give me the full solution.
- Build & reviewCursor / Copilot
Here is my work for a "AI Agents & Tools" task: [paste your code or answer]. Review it: point out what's wrong and WHY, and suggest improvements — but let me make the fixes myself.
- Prove itClaude / ChatGPT / Gemini
Quiz me on "AI Agents & Tools". Ask me 5 questions one at a time, wait for my answer each time, then tell me if I'm right and briefly why.