> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.ada.cx/_mcp/server.

# API tools

> **Tip**
>
> **Not sure where to begin?** Explore our [Getting started](/docs/welcome/getting-started) guidelines to set up your first AI Agent, review [Key concepts](/docs/welcome/key-concepts) to understand the essentials, or check out [Improvement tactics](/docs/welcome/improvement-tactics) to resolve issues and keep things running smoothly.

After you've added [Knowledge](/docs/knowledge) to your AI Agent, you can start setting up automations like API tools (formerly Actions) to make it more powerful.

API tools help your AI Agent retrieve, process, and send data, forming a core part of how it operates. They work alongside [Playbooks](/docs/automation/playbooks) and [Processes](/docs/automation/processes), which ensure tasks happen in the right order. By adding API tools to a structured workflow, your AI Agent can follow clear steps to complete tasks automatically.

This section covers how to [set up and manage API calls using API tools](/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/api-tool-control). You'll also learn how to [authenticate API calls with tokens](/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/token-configuration). For real-world examples of how to apply API tools effectively, see [Best practices](/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/api-tool-control/best-practices).

## Which tool to use

Three tool types connect an AI Agent to data and systems. Choose based on where the tool is defined and what the Agent needs to do with the result.

| Situation                                                             | Tool      |
| :-------------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------- |
| Fetch or send data through an endpoint you configure in the dashboard | API tool  |
| Reshape, trim, compute, or format a response before the Agent uses it | Code tool |
| Connect a system you already run as an MCP server                     | MCP tool  |

![API tools on the Tools page](/_fern-img/a3a611f3e6d8ab1b3c642f768c7a2fa09de1fc258b827b9d34812d3932403102.webp)

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Have any questions? Contact your Ada team, or email us at [](mailto:help@ada.cx?subject=Help%20Docs%20inquiry).

> Overview

## Docs

- [Token configuration](https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/token-configuration.md)
- [API tool control](https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/api-tool-control.md)
- [External API design](https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/api-tool-control/external-api-design.md)
- [Best practices](https://docs.ada.cx/docs/automation/tools/api-tools/api-tool-control/best-practices.md)