The agent called the right tool with the wrong arguments. What do you check first?
Why C is the answer
The tool's definition and how its arguments are described
Tool misuse often comes from unclear definitions, so fix those before changing models.
In detail
- Wrong arguments often come from a weak tool definition.
- Check how the arguments are described.
- Give argument types, formats and an example.
Use case
An illustrative scenario, not a real incident.
An agent calls a report tool with a date in the wrong format. The tool's description never says which format, so that is what needs fixing.
See it in different ways
flowchart TD
A["Agent failure"] --> B{"Where did it go wrong?"}
B -->|"Misread the task"| C["Reasoning: improve instructions"]
B -->|"Wrong tool or input"| D["Tool misuse: fix tool definitions"]
B -->|"Missing dependency"| E["Environment: fix setup"]stateDiagram-v2 [*] --> Failed Failed --> Reasoning: right tools, wrong understanding Failed --> ToolUse: right tool, wrong arguments Failed --> Environment: missing dependency or access Reasoning --> Tune: instructions and context ToolUse --> Tune: tool definition Environment --> Tune: setup
flowchart LR S0["Wrong arguments"] --> S1["Read the tool definition"] --> S2["Describe the arguments"] --> S3["Test again"]
Key point: Wrong arguments often mean a weak definition.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Whether the developer wrote the issue during working hours
- The time of day is irrelevant.
- B. Whether the repository needs a longer README file
- A README does not define tool arguments.
- D. Whether a larger model would have chosen better arguments
- A larger model does not fix an unclear definition.