Custom API Tools

Any API.
Now a tool for your agent.

CSR-X can turn any web-based API into a tool your AI agent knows how to use. Describe what the tool does, connect it to your endpoint, and your agent can look up orders, check availability, update records and more — in your systems, not just ours.

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How it works

From a customer's question to your data and back.

A custom tool is a bridge between a conversation and an API. You define what it does and when to use it. The agent takes care of the rest, in whatever channel the customer happens to be using.

A customer asks

A question or request comes in on any channel: a call, a web chat, an SMS or an email.

The agent chooses a tool

Using the descriptions you wrote, the agent recognises when one of your tools can help and gathers the details it needs.

Your API is called

CSR-X sends the request to your endpoint with the credentials you provided and receives the response.

The customer gets an answer

The agent turns the result into a natural reply and carries on with the conversation.

Step one · Define

Describe the tool in plain language.

Give the tool a name, explain what it does and tell the agent when it should reach for it. Then list the details the tool needs, such as an order number or a customer's email address.

That description is all the agent needs. When a customer asks something the tool can answer, the agent recognises it, collects any missing details and calls the tool with them.

A clear name and purpose

Something like CheckOrderStatus or CreateBooking, with a sentence on what it does.

Instructions on when to use it

Describe the situations that call for the tool, and anything the agent should confirm first.

The details it needs

List each parameter, its type and whether it is required. The agent collects them from the customer.

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Nova Active

Agent settings · Tools

Custom tool

Tool name

CheckOrderStatus

What it does

Looks up the current status and delivery estimate for a customer's order.

When to use it

Use when a customer asks where their order is or when it will arrive. Ask for the order number if they haven't given it.

Parameters+ Add parameter

order_numberstringrequiredThe customer's order reference

emailstringEmail used at checkout

CancelSave tool

CheckOrderStatus

API connection

Connected

Request

GEThttps://api.yourstore.com/v1/orders/{order_number}

Authentication

API keyBearer tokenBasic authCustom header

Headers

AuthorizationBearer ••••••••••••••••••••

Acceptapplication/json

Response200 OK

{
  "order_number": "48213",
  "status": "shipped",
  "estimated_delivery": "Thursday"
}

Step two · Connect

Point it at your endpoint.

Tell CSR-X how to reach the API: the request method, the URL and any headers it expects. Parameters from the conversation drop straight into the request, whether they belong in the path, the query string or the body.

Add the credentials the API needs and they stay with the tool. The agent uses them to make the call, but they are never part of the conversation and never shown to a customer.

Any HTTP methodPath, query and body parametersCustom headersSecure credentials

Step three · Use

Your agent does the rest, in the conversation.

When a customer asks something the tool can help with, the agent gathers the details it needs, calls your API and turns the response into a natural reply. No scripts, no menus, no "let me transfer you".

It works the same on a phone call, in web chat, over SMS or by email. Every tool call is recorded in the conversation timeline, so your team can always see what the agent did and why.

Works across voice, web chat, SMS and email

The agent asks for missing details before making the call

Each tool call is visible in the conversation timeline

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Nova / SMS

AI customer service agent

In Progress

Hi, can you tell me where my order is? It's number 48213.

Nova used CheckOrderStatus

GET /v1/orders/48213 · 200 OK

Good news! Order 48213 shipped yesterday and is on track to arrive on Thursday. Would you like me to send the tracking link?

Yes please!

Live data from your own system, in the agent's own words.

Connect anything

The systems you already run, now within reach.

You don't need to wait for a native integration. If a system has a web API, your agent can work with it, from well-known platforms to software your business built for itself.

Orders & shipping

Look up order status, delivery estimates and tracking details from your e-commerce or fulfilment platform.

"Where is my order?"

Bookings & scheduling

Check availability, make or change appointments and confirm the details back to the customer.

"Can I move my appointment to Friday?"

CRM & customer records

Find a customer's account, update their contact details or log the outcome of a conversation.

"I've changed my phone number."

Billing & subscriptions

Answer questions about invoices, plans and renewals straight from your billing system.

"When is my next payment due?"

Helpdesk & ticketing

Raise a ticket, check on an existing one or add a note for the team that handles it.

"Has anyone looked at my request?"

Your own internal software

Connect the systems your business built itself. If it has a web API, your agent can use it.

Stock levels, job status, member records…

Designed for real businesses

Powerful for the agent. Predictable for you.

Custom tools extend what your agent can do without giving up control over how it does it.

You decide when tools are used

The agent only reaches for a tool in the situations you describe. Change the instructions and its behaviour changes with them.

Credentials stay out of the conversation

API keys and tokens are stored with the tool and used behind the scenes. They are never shared with customers or included in replies.

One tool per job

Keep each tool focused on a single task. Add as many as you need and build up your agent's capabilities over time.

Native and custom, side by side

Combine your tools with built-in capabilities like knowledge search and human handover. The agent picks the right one for the moment.

Every call is on the record

Tool calls appear in the conversation timeline, so your team can see exactly what the agent looked up or changed.

Read or write, your choice

A tool can simply retrieve information or take an action, such as creating a booking. You decide what each one is allowed to do.

Frequently asked questions

A few more details.

Do I need to be a developer to set up a custom tool?

You need to know the API you want to connect to: its endpoint, the request it expects and how it authenticates. If your system has API documentation, that is usually all it takes. If you would like a hand, get in touch and we can help you set up your first tool.

What kinds of APIs can I connect?

Any web-based API your tool can reach over HTTPS. That includes popular SaaS platforms, industry-specific software and internal systems your business has built itself.

How does the agent know when to use a tool?

Each tool has a description of what it does and instructions on when it is appropriate. The agent uses those alongside the conversation to decide, and asks the customer for any details it still needs before making the call.

Can tools change data, or only read it?

Both. A tool can look up information, such as an order status, or perform an action, such as creating a booking or raising a ticket. It depends on the request you configure and what your API allows.

Does this replace native integrations?

No. Native integrations are the quickest way to connect supported platforms. Custom API tools cover everything else, so your agent is never limited to the integrations we have built.

Get started

Ready to connect your agent to your systems?

Start your free trial, set up your AI agent and define your first custom tool. Your agent could be answering questions from your own data within the day.

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Any API.Now a tool for your agent.