composio-skills-reference/composio-sdk/rules/app-fetch-tools.md

title, impact, description, tags

title	impact	description	tags
Fetching Tools for Applications	HIGH	Essential patterns for discovering and retrieving tools from Composio for direct execution in traditional applications	tools fetch discovery apps providers

Fetching Tools for Applications

When building traditional applications (non-agent workflows), use direct tool fetching methods to discover and retrieve tools from Composio.

Methods Overview

• tools.get() - Use when working with a provider (OpenAI, Vercel, etc.). Returns tools wrapped in provider-specific format.
• tools.getRawComposioTools() - Use for standalone applications and building UIs. Returns raw tool metadata without provider wrapping.

1. tools.get() - For Provider-Based Applications

Use tools.get() when you're using Composio with a provider like OpenAI, Vercel AI SDK, or LangChain. This method wraps tools in the format expected by your provider.

Get tools from a toolkit:

// Get important tools only (auto-applies important filter)
const importantGithubTools = await composio.tools.get('default', {
  toolkits: ['github']
});

// Get a limited number of tools (does NOT auto-apply important filter)
const githubTools = await composio.tools.get('default', {
  toolkits: ['github'],
  limit: 10
});

Get a specific tool by slug:

const tool = await composio.tools.get('default', 'GITHUB_GET_REPO');

2. tools.getRawComposioTools() - For Standalone Applications & UIs

Use getRawComposioTools() for standalone applications and building UIs. This method returns raw tool metadata without provider-specific wrapping, making it ideal for:

• Building tool selection UIs
• Creating tool catalogs or documentation
• Direct tool execution workflows (without providers)
• Custom tool management interfaces

// Get important tools (auto-applies important filter)
const importantTools = await composio.tools.getRawComposioTools({
  toolkits: ['github']
});

// Get specific tools by slug
const specificTools = await composio.tools.getRawComposioTools({
  tools: ['GITHUB_GET_REPOS', 'SLACK_SEND_MESSAGE']
});

// Get limited tools (does NOT auto-apply important)
const limitedTools = await composio.tools.getRawComposioTools({
  toolkits: ['slack'],
  limit: 5
});

Important Filter Behavior

The important filter auto-applies to show only the most commonly used tools.

Auto-applies when:

• Only toolkits filter is provided (no other filters)

Does NOT auto-apply when:

• limit is specified
• search is used
• tools (specific slugs) are provided
• tags are specified
• important is explicitly set to false

// Auto-applies important=true
await composio.tools.get('default', { toolkits: ['github'] });

// Does NOT auto-apply important (limit specified)
await composio.tools.get('default', { toolkits: ['github'], limit: 10 });

// Does NOT auto-apply important (search used)
await composio.tools.get('default', { search: 'repo' });

// Explicitly disable important filter
await composio.tools.get('default', { toolkits: ['github'], important: false });

Filter Parameters

Available filters for both tools.get() and tools.getRawComposioTools():

• toolkits: Array of toolkit names (e.g., ['github', 'slack'])
• tools: Array of specific tool slugs (e.g., ['GITHUB_GET_REPO'])
• search: Search string for tool names/descriptions
• limit: Maximum number of tools to return
• tags: Array of tags to filter by
• scopes: Array of scopes to filter by
• authConfigIds: Array of auth config IDs to filter tools by specific auth configs
• important: Boolean to explicitly control important filter (auto-applies in some cases)

Note: You cannot use tools and toolkits filters together.

Schema Modification

Customize tool schemas at fetch time:

const customizedTools = await composio.tools.get('default', {
  toolkits: ['github']
}, {
  modifySchema: ({ toolSlug, toolkitSlug, schema }) => {
    return { ...schema, description: 'Custom description' };
  }
});

Best Practices

1. Choose the right method:

   • Use tools.get() when working with providers (OpenAI, Vercel, LangChain)
   • Use tools.getRawComposioTools() for standalone apps, UIs, and catalogs

2. Use important filter for UIs: Show important tools first, then allow users to discover all tools

3. Cache tool metadata: Tools don't change frequently, cache the results

4. Filter by toolkit: Group tools by toolkit for better organization

5. Don't mix tools and toolkits filters: Cannot use both filters together