Overview › 2Tools › a.Refactoring

Refactoring

Refactor & combine. 3 optimizations.

1. i.

   Reduce the tool surface: remove and consolidate tools, then defer the rest behind search

   Offer the agent only the tools the task needs.

   Better qualityLower costMixed performance

   Tier 1 · hygiene · changes tool surface, context · tool use agents · 32 sources, 23 measured

2. ii.

   Rewrite the tool surface: names, schemas, descriptions

   Change what the model sees of each tool without touching its implementation: a distinct name, a strict schema (enums, required fields), and a description with fixed sections (what it is for and when to use it versus sibling tools, defaults and limits, error modes, side effects), plus a usage example for complex parameters.

   Better qualityMixed costMixed performance

   Tier 1 · hygiene · changes tool surface · tool use agents · 18 sources, 8 measured

3. iii.

   Choose how the agent acts: typed tools, code execution, or shell, matched to the model and task

   Decide the action interface deliberately, by model and by task, and provision what it needs.

   Lower costMixed quality

   Tier 3 · tuning · changes tool surface, model · tool use agents · 22 sources, 10 measured