Running Tools
Tools are API proxy glyphs that wrap external services with payment handling.
How Tools Work
- You provide input parameters
- The tool calls an external API
- The response is transformed and returned
- Payment is handled automatically
Tool Features
API Wrapping
Tools wrap existing APIs:
- HTTP methods - GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
- Authentication - API keys, Bearer tokens, Basic auth
- Headers - Custom request headers
Request Transformation
Inputs are transformed before sending:
- Variable substitution
- JSON formatting
- Query parameter building
Response Transformation
API responses are processed:
- Extract relevant fields
- Format output
- Handle errors gracefully
Running a Tool
Step 1: Review the Schema
Check what inputs the tool requires:
- Endpoint-specific parameters
- Required vs optional fields
- Data format expectations
Step 2: Provide Inputs
Fill in the input form:
- Contract addresses for blockchain queries
- Wallet addresses for account lookups
- Query parameters for search/filter
- Data payloads for POST requests
Step 3: Execute
Click Run Tool:
- Request is built from your inputs
- Tool calls the external API
- Response is processed
- Results displayed in console
Tool Output
JSON Response
Most tools return structured JSON:
{
"data": {
"address": "0x...",
"balance": "1000000000000000000",
"transactions": [...]
},
"metadata": {
"source": "etherscan",
"timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
}
}Formatted Display
Tools may provide formatted views:
- Tables for lists
- Charts for data visualization
- Markdown for text
Common Tool Categories
Blockchain Data
- Contract information lookup
- Wallet balance checking
- Transaction history
- Token metadata
Social Analytics
- Twitter/X engagement metrics
- Discord activity tracking
- Community sentiment
Price Feeds
- Token prices from DEXs
- Historical price data
- Volume and liquidity
External Services
- IPFS/Arweave data retrieval
- AI model inference
- Document processing
Rate Limits
Tools may have rate limits:
- Per-minute limits - Maximum calls per minute
- Daily limits - Maximum calls per day
- Shown in details - Check before running
Authentication
Tools handle auth automatically:
- API Key - Stored securely, injected in requests
- Bearer Token - OAuth-style authentication
- Basic Auth - Username/password
You don’t need to provide credentials - the tool creator configures these.
Error Responses
API Errors
- Rate Limited - Too many requests
- Not Found - Resource doesn’t exist
- Unauthorized - API credentials invalid
What to Do
- Check your inputs are valid
- Wait and retry for rate limits
- Try an alternative tool if persistent
Next Steps
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