Google Adk Function Tool

Google ADK — Function Tools

Core Concept

Any Python function with a docstring becomes a tool. ADK auto-converts it to a FunctionTool with schema derived from type hints and docstring.

Basic Function Tool

def get_weather(city: str) -> dict:
    """Retrieves the current weather for a city.

    Args:
        city: The name of the city to get weather for.

    Returns:
        dict with status and weather report.
    """
    # Implementation
    return {"status": "success", "report": f"Sunny in {city}, 25°C"}

root_agent = Agent(
    name="weather_agent",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Help users check weather.",
    tools=[get_weather],
)

Function Tool Requirements

1. Must have a docstring — used as the tool description for the LLM
2. Must have type hints — used to generate the JSON schema
3. Args section in docstring — each parameter needs a description
4. Return type — helps the LLM understand the response

Using ToolContext

ToolContext gives tools access to session state, artifacts, and agent actions:

from google.adk.tools.tool_context import ToolContext

def save_preference(preference: str, tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Saves a user preference to session state.

    Args:
        preference: The preference to save.
    """
    tool_context.state["user_preference"] = preference
    return f"Saved preference: {preference}"

def get_history(tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Retrieves conversation history from state."""
    history = tool_context.state.get("history", [])
    return "\n".join(history) if history else "No history."

Note: tool_context parameter is automatically injected — do NOT include it in the docstring Args.

ToolContext Capabilities

Async Function Tools

import aiohttp

async def fetch_data(url: str) -> dict:
    """Fetches data from a URL.

    Args:
        url: The URL to fetch data from.

    Returns:
        The response data as a dictionary.
    """
    async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
        async with session.get(url) as response:
            return await response.json()

Explicit FunctionTool

For more control, wrap explicitly:

from google.adk.tools import FunctionTool

def _internal_search(query: str) -> list[str]:
    """Searches the internal knowledge base.

    Args:
        query: Search query string.
    """
    return ["result1", "result2"]

search_tool = FunctionTool(func=_internal_search)

agent = Agent(
    name="searcher",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    tools=[search_tool],
)

Manipulating Agent Flow via ToolContext

def transfer_to_specialist(department: str, tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Transfers the conversation to a specialist department.

    Args:
        department: The department to transfer to (billing, technical, sales).
    """
    tool_context.actions.transfer_to_agent = department
    return f"Transferring to {department}."

def escalate_issue(reason: str, tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Escalates the issue to a human operator.

    Args:
        reason: Why this needs human intervention.
    """
    tool_context.actions.escalate = True
    return f"Escalated: {reason}"

Working with Artifacts

from google.adk.tools.tool_context import ToolContext
from google.genai import types
import json

async def save_report(report: str, tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Saves a generated report as an artifact.

    Args:
        report: The report content to save.
    """
    artifact = types.Part.from_text(text=report)
    version = await tool_context.save_artifact("report.txt", artifact)
    return f"Report saved (version {version})."

async def load_report(tool_context: ToolContext) -> str:
    """Loads the previously saved report."""
    artifact = await tool_context.load_artifact("report.txt")
    if artifact:
        return artifact.text
    return "No report found."

Supported Parameter Types

Key Rules

• Function name becomes the tool name the LLM sees
• Docstring is the tool description — make it clear and actionable
• tool_context is NEVER shown to the LLM — it's injected automatically
• Return strings for simple responses, dicts for structured data
• Keep tools focused — one action per tool
• Use descriptive names: get_weather not gw, save_document not save

Related Skills

• google-adk-llm-agent — Attaching tools to agents
• google-adk-callbacks — Before/after tool callbacks
• google-adk-mcp-tool — MCP server tools
• google-adk-openapi-tool — REST API tools from OpenAPI specs