tool use and grounding

MCP servers and custom tool libraries are direct implementations of tool-use patterns. Article demonstrates how tool access becomes part of context architecture.

MCP is a concrete implementation pattern for how LLMs invoke external tools reliably with schema validation and structured communication.

Key observation that agents call existing APIs as tools reveals the importance of context about tool capabilities, signatures, and outputs.

ReAct agents explicitly manage tool selection based on reasoning - shows how context about available tools influences agent behavior.

Extends tool selection from simple availability to intelligent ranking based on query relevance, improving grounding in appropriate tools.

MCP is the infrastructure layer enabling Claude to 'do' via tool integration. Article frames MCP as what moves Claude from passive answering to active execution.

Agent roles explicitly include tool assignments (web search, document creator); shows context includes tool availability

Agent workflows inherently require tools (customer research = web search, data retrieval, report generation). The article doesn't detail tool integration but frames agents as tool-coordinating systems