Function Calling

Function calling lets a model choose structured tool calls that your application can execute. The model does not run the function itself. It returns the function name and arguments, your code runs the function, and you send the result back to the model. Use function calling when the model needs live data, application actions, database lookups, or deterministic calculations.

Basic Tool Definition

Define tools with the OpenAI-compatible tools array:

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ["VENICE_API_KEY"],
    base_url="https://api.venice.ai/api/v1",
)

tools = [
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "get_weather",
            "description": "Get the current weather in a location",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "location": {
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "City and state, such as San Francisco, CA",
                    }
                },
                "required": ["location"],
            },
        },
    }
]

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="zai-org-glm-5",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather in San Francisco?"}],
    tools=tools,
)

print(response.choices[0].message.tool_calls)

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: process.env.VENICE_API_KEY,
  baseURL: "https://api.venice.ai/api/v1",
});

const tools = [
  {
    type: "function",
    function: {
      name: "get_weather",
      description: "Get the current weather in a location",
      parameters: {
        type: "object",
        properties: {
          location: {
            type: "string",
            description: "City and state, such as San Francisco, CA",
          },
        },
        required: ["location"],
      },
    },
  },
];

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "zai-org-glm-5",
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "What is the weather in San Francisco?" }],
  tools,
});

console.log(response.choices[0].message.tool_calls);

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VENICE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "zai-org-glm-5",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather in San Francisco?"}
    ],
    "tools": [
      {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
          "name": "get_weather",
          "description": "Get the current weather in a location",
          "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "location": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "City and state, such as San Francisco, CA"
              }
            },
            "required": ["location"]
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }'

Execute the Tool

When the model chooses a tool, inspect message.tool_calls, parse the arguments, execute your application function, then send the result back as a tool message.

Python

import json

message = response.choices[0].message
tool_call = message.tool_calls[0]
arguments = json.loads(tool_call.function.arguments)

weather = get_weather(arguments["location"])

follow_up = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="zai-org-glm-5",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather in San Francisco?"},
        message.model_dump(),
        {
            "role": "tool",
            "tool_call_id": tool_call.id,
            "content": json.dumps(weather),
        },
    ],
    tools=tools,
)

print(follow_up.choices[0].message.content)

Choose a Model

Function calling support is model-specific. Use the Text Models page or the Models API to find models with supportsFunctionCalling.

Treat tool arguments as untrusted input. Validate arguments before using them in database queries, shell commands, payments, or other side-effecting operations.

Going Further

The example above stops after one round trip. Real agents keep going, because the model usually needs several tools before it can answer. Building a Tool-Using Agent with Function Calling works through the whole loop against a database the model has never seen, including parallel tool calls, returning errors the model recovers from, and the difference between a model that declines and a guard that refuses.

Design Tips

Keep tool names and descriptions short and literal.
Use JSON Schema to make valid arguments easy for the model to produce.
Prefer narrow tools with clear inputs over one broad tool with many optional behaviors.
Return concise tool results so the final answer has enough context without wasting tokens.

Docs

Getting Started

Text & Chat

Image

Video

Audio

Search & RAG

Agents & Integrations

Coding Tools

Agent Tooling

SDKs & Frameworks

Basic Tool Definition

Execute the Tool

Choose a Model

Going Further

Design Tips

​Basic Tool Definition

​Execute the Tool

​Choose a Model

​Going Further

​Design Tips

​Related Resources

Basic Tool Definition

Execute the Tool

Choose a Model

Going Further

Design Tips

Related Resources