How do you build an agent that can actually do things? This episode of The Agent Factory is a masterclass in crafting custom tools—the essential bridge between your agent’s AI brain and the real world. Forget generic APIs; we’re diving deep into the code and architectural patterns you need to give your agents specialized skills. Join hosts Smitha and Amit Maraj as they build "FinWise," a powerful financial agent from the ground up, demonstrating exactly how to design, build, and deploy a suite of custom tools for a complex task. 🛠️
By the end of this episode, you’ll have a practical guide to the four essential patterns for building more capable and reliable agents.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Agent Industry Pulse: We’ll quickly cover the latest trends that make powerful custom tools possible. We explore how Agentic RAG allows agents to intelligently fetch live data, look at new models like Kimi K2 and Qwen 3 that are optimized for tool use, and introduce new frameworks from Google like the GenAI Processors library and the experimental Opal tool that simplify how developers build these sophisticated systems.
The Factory Floor: The heart of this episode is the practical build. We’ll walk you through the creation of our "FinWise" agent to showcase four essential and distinct patterns for creating custom tools with the Agent Development Kit (ADK):
– Simple Function Tool: The go-to pattern for creating basic, stateless tools like a real-time stock price checker. Perfect for direct API calls.
– Agent-as-a-Tool: A clever architecture for complex tasks. Learn how to grant an agent specialized skills (like Python code execution) by wrapping a "specialist agent" as a reusable tool.
– MCP (Model Context Protocol) Tool: The ideal pattern for heavy, computational services. See how to build a portfolio optimizer as a standalone, discoverable server that any agent can connect to.
– Authenticated Tool: The critical pattern for security. Learn to build tools that handle sensitive user actions, like executing a stock trade, using the ToolContext for safely managing credentials.
Developer Q&A: We answer top community questions on building with agentic tools.
– When should you use a Function Tool vs. an OpenAPI Toolset for your internal microservice?
– How can you easily integrate LangChain tools into your ADK project?
– What are the best practices for testing long-running or asynchronous tools locally?
About The Agent Factory:
"The Agent Factory" is a video-first technical podcast for developers, by developers, focused on building production-ready AI agents. We’ll explore how to design, build, deploy, and manage agents that bring real value using the latest open-source tools and frameworks. Going beyond basic AI/ML concepts, the podcast will delve into the practical aspects of agentic AI, covering everything from single-purpose agents for task automation to complex multi-agent systems.
Connect with Us & Ask Questions:
Leave your questions and feedback in the YouTube comments below!
Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #TheAgentFactory.
Connect with the community at the Google Developer Program forums → https://goo.gle/452dzqr
Resources:
Announcing GenAI Processors: Build powerful and flexible Gemini applications → https://goo.gle/3H5Q3zL
Building Gemini Apps the Modular Way: Meet Google’s GenAI Processors → https://goo.gle/4fmYh3a
Introducing Opal: describe, create, and share your AI mini-app → https://goo.gle/4lvMt05
#MultiAgentSystem #ContextEngineering #GoogleCloud
Speaker: Amit Maraj Smitha Kolan
Products Mentioned: Vertex AI, LangChain, ADK
