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Rival Enterprise

What is a Tool (Function)

A tool (also called a function) is a single, specific capability an agent or workflow can use — like sending an email, querying a database, or creating a ticket. Tools are the building blocks that actions are made of.

Tools are the smallest unit of action in Rival. Agents and workflows are powerful because of the tools they can reach: give an agent a “create ticket” tool and a “send email” tool, and it can do both. Complex work is just many simple tools composed together.

Why it matters in the enterprise

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Which tools exist, who can build them, and which are approved for team use are all things an admin controls. That’s what keeps a growing library of capabilities from becoming a free-for-all.

A quick example

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A data team builds one tool that reconciles two systems using a rule no visual builder captures cleanly. Once it’s approved, everyone else can drop that tool into their own workflows as a building block — without ever seeing the code inside it.

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