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Tools & knowledge

An agent is only as useful as what it can do and what it knows. Tools give an agent abilities — actions it can take in the world. Knowledge gives it context — the documents and data it should understand before it acts. Together they turn a clever chatbot into a capable teammate.

Tools and tool calls

Section titled “Tools and tool calls”

A tool is an action an agent can perform. A tool call is the agent choosing to use one. Tools come in a few shapes:

  • Built-in BridgeApp actions — create a task, send a message, look something up in a database.
  • External systems via MCP — connect to outside services like a code host, a payment system, or a CRM.

Approvals keep you in control

Section titled “Approvals keep you in control”

Not every action should happen automatically — and BridgeApp doesn’t pretend otherwise.

  • Auto-approved tools run on their own. Reading a doc or listing tasks is harmless, so it just happens.
  • Approval-required tools pause and ask you first. Anything sensitive — sending something external, changing data — waits for your yes.

You’ll see pending approvals right in the task or chat where the agent is working, and you can accept or decline each one. This is what people mean by human-in-the-loop: the agent does the legwork, you keep the final say.

There’s also tool visibility — which tools an agent is even allowed to see and use. Limiting an agent’s toolbox to what its job needs keeps it focused and safe.

Knowledge

Section titled “Knowledge”

Knowledge is the context you connect to an agent so it understands your world. You can attach:

  • Pages — your handbook, playbooks, project specs, past decisions.
  • Database entries — structured facts the agent can reference.

With the right knowledge, an agent stops guessing and starts answering from your material.

Putting it together: a support agent

Section titled “Putting it together: a support agent”

Imagine a Customer Support Responder:

  1. Knowledge — connect your help-center pages, so it answers in line with your real policies.
  2. Tools — give it a CRM tool (via MCP) so it can look up a customer, and the built-in task tool so it can escalate.
  3. Approvals — let it draft replies freely, but require your approval before it sends anything to a customer.

The result: a teammate that handles the busywork of support while you stay in control of what actually goes out.

Section titled “Related”