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Conceptually, a tool is just an API call wrapped with plain language documentation and a JSON schema. The schema acts as the bridge between the agent's probabilistic reasoning and your structured data requirements.
Agentic tool use Overview of MCP and more
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The LLM does not execute the API call. It generates a structured payload matching the schema. The n8n runtime intercepts this payload, executes the actual HTTP request using stored credentials, and feeds the response back into the agent's memory.
Tools in n8n come in three flavors: pre-built standard nodes, custom internal workflows exposed as tools, and external HTTP APIs. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) standardizes this by allowing an MCP server to expose multiple tools at once, which the n8n MCP client node can auto-discover.
The LLM never touches your API keys or network headers. Keep credentials strictly inside the n8n credential store.
Finish the lesson once you have worked through the material. This awards ★ 30 XP.