> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.watson-orchestrate.ibm.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

Tools are essential components of agents, enabling them to perform actions such as querying data, creating documents, or executing transactions on behalf of users. Some tools might require a connection to work properly.

The watsonx Orchestrate ADK includes a set of built-in tools you can use in agents. These tools are versatile and apply to many scenarios.

You can also create custom tools with ADK when needed. Custom tools can come from:

* **OpenAPI**
  Use OpenAPI tools to quickly consume remote web services that include an OpenAPI specification file on watsonx Orchestrate. For more information, see [Authoring OpenAPI based tools](./create_openapi_tool).

* **Python**
  Python tools give you flexibility and power to extend agent functionality in watsonx Orchestrate, especially when combined with agentic workflows. For more information, see [Authoring Python-Based Tools](./create_tool).

* **Agentic workflows**
  An agentic workflow acts as a tool with built-in agentic capabilities and automations. It supports complex orchestration of multiple agents, tools, and people. For more information, see [Authoring agentic workflow tools](./flows/overview).

* **Langflow**
  Langflow lets you visually design, test, and deploy AI applications with a drag-and-drop interface. You can build tools in Langflow and then import them into watsonx Orchestrate. For more information, see [Authoring Langflow tools](../langflow/overview).

ADK also lets you manage tools in your active environment. You can list, export, update, and delete tools. For more information, see [Managing tools](./manage_tool).