Tool Calling (Function Calling)

Tool calling allows models to invoke external functions, APIs, and tools during a conversation. The model decides when to call a function based on the user’s message and returns structured arguments you can use to execute the function in your application.

The Morpheus Inference API is fully OpenAI-compatible — tool calling works exactly like OpenAI’s function calling API. If you’ve used OpenAI tools before, you already know how to use this.

Supported Models

Most models on the Morpheus API support function calling. See the Available Models page for the full list — look for the Function Calling capability. Popular choices for tool calling:

Model	Best For
`glm-5`	Complex multi-step tool orchestration
`kimi-k2.5`	Parallel tool calls, agent workflows
`minimax-m2.5`	Autonomous multi-tool agents
`mistral-31-24b`	Fast, efficient tool use
`glm-4.7-flash`	Lightweight agentic coding

How It Works

Define tools — Describe available functions with names, descriptions, and JSON Schema parameters
Send request — Include tools in your chat completion request
Model responds — The model either answers directly or returns a tool_calls array with function names and arguments
Execute functions — Run the requested functions in your application
Return results — Send function results back to the model for a final response

Basic Example

Define a tool and let the model decide when to call it:

curl
Python
JavaScript
TypeScript

curl https://api.mor.org/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "glm-5",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather like in San Francisco?"}
    ],
    "tools": [
      {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
          "name": "get_weather",
          "description": "Get the current weather for a location",
          "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "location": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "The city name, e.g. San Francisco"
              },
              "unit": {
                "type": "string",
                "enum": ["celsius", "fahrenheit"],
                "description": "Temperature unit"
              }
            },
            "required": ["location"]
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }'

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.mor.org/api/v1"
)

tools = [
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "get_weather",
            "description": "Get the current weather for a location",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "location": {
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "The city name, e.g. San Francisco"
                    },
                    "unit": {
                        "type": "string",
                        "enum": ["celsius", "fahrenheit"],
                        "description": "Temperature unit"
                    }
                },
                "required": ["location"]
            }
        }
    }
]

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="glm-5",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather like in San Francisco?"}
    ],
    tools=tools
)

# Check if the model wants to call a function
message = response.choices[0].message

if message.tool_calls:
    for tool_call in message.tool_calls:
        print(f"Function: {tool_call.function.name}")
        print(f"Arguments: {tool_call.function.arguments}")
else:
    print(message.content)

Install the OpenAI SDK: pip install openai

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY",
  baseURL: "https://api.mor.org/api/v1",
});

const tools = [
  {
    type: "function",
    function: {
      name: "get_weather",
      description: "Get the current weather for a location",
      parameters: {
        type: "object",
        properties: {
          location: {
            type: "string",
            description: "The city name, e.g. San Francisco",
          },
          unit: {
            type: "string",
            enum: ["celsius", "fahrenheit"],
            description: "Temperature unit",
          },
        },
        required: ["location"],
      },
    },
  },
];

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "glm-5",
  messages: [
    { role: "user", content: "What is the weather like in San Francisco?" },
  ],
  tools,
});

// Check if the model wants to call a function
const message = response.choices[0].message;

if (message.tool_calls) {
  for (const toolCall of message.tool_calls) {
    console.log(`Function: ${toolCall.function.name}`);
    console.log(`Arguments: ${toolCall.function.arguments}`);
  }
} else {
  console.log(message.content);
}

Install the OpenAI SDK: npm install openai

import OpenAI from "openai";
import type { ChatCompletionTool } from "openai/resources/chat/completions";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: process.env.MORPHEUS_API_KEY!,
  baseURL: "https://api.mor.org/api/v1",
});

const tools: ChatCompletionTool[] = [
  {
    type: "function",
    function: {
      name: "get_weather",
      description: "Get the current weather for a location",
      parameters: {
        type: "object",
        properties: {
          location: {
            type: "string",
            description: "The city name, e.g. San Francisco",
          },
          unit: {
            type: "string",
            enum: ["celsius", "fahrenheit"],
            description: "Temperature unit",
          },
        },
        required: ["location"],
      },
    },
  },
];

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "glm-5",
  messages: [
    { role: "user", content: "What is the weather like in San Francisco?" },
  ],
  tools,
});

const message = response.choices[0].message;

if (message.tool_calls) {
  for (const toolCall of message.tool_calls) {
    console.log(`Function: ${toolCall.function.name}`);
    console.log(`Arguments: ${toolCall.function.arguments}`);
  }
} else {
  console.log(message.content);
}

Install the OpenAI SDK: npm install openai

Complete Tool Calling Loop

In a real application, you execute the function and send the result back to the model:

Python
JavaScript

import json
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.mor.org/api/v1"
)

# Define your tools
tools = [
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "get_weather",
            "description": "Get the current weather for a location",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "location": {"type": "string", "description": "City name"},
                    "unit": {"type": "string", "enum": ["celsius", "fahrenheit"]}
                },
                "required": ["location"]
            }
        }
    }
]

# Your actual function implementation
def get_weather(location: str, unit: str = "fahrenheit") -> str:
    # Replace with a real weather API call
    return json.dumps({"temperature": 72, "unit": unit, "condition": "sunny"})

# Step 1: Send the user message with tools
messages = [{"role": "user", "content": "What's the weather in San Francisco?"}]

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="glm-5",
    messages=messages,
    tools=tools
)

message = response.choices[0].message

# Step 2: Check if the model wants to call a function
if message.tool_calls:
    # Add the assistant's response to the conversation
    messages.append(message)

    # Step 3: Execute each tool call and add results
    for tool_call in message.tool_calls:
        function_name = tool_call.function.name
        arguments = json.loads(tool_call.function.arguments)

        # Call your function
        result = get_weather(**arguments)

        # Add the function result to the conversation
        messages.append({
            "role": "tool",
            "tool_call_id": tool_call.id,
            "content": result
        })

    # Step 4: Get the final response with function results
    final_response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="glm-5",
        messages=messages,
        tools=tools
    )

    print(final_response.choices[0].message.content)
else:
    print(message.content)

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY",
  baseURL: "https://api.mor.org/api/v1",
});

const tools = [
  {
    type: "function",
    function: {
      name: "get_weather",
      description: "Get the current weather for a location",
      parameters: {
        type: "object",
        properties: {
          location: { type: "string", description: "City name" },
          unit: { type: "string", enum: ["celsius", "fahrenheit"] },
        },
        required: ["location"],
      },
    },
  },
];

// Your actual function implementation
function getWeather(location, unit = "fahrenheit") {
  // Replace with a real weather API call
  return JSON.stringify({ temperature: 72, unit, condition: "sunny" });
}

const functionMap = { get_weather: getWeather };

// Step 1: Send the user message with tools
const messages = [
  { role: "user", content: "What's the weather in San Francisco?" },
];

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "glm-5",
  messages,
  tools,
});

const message = response.choices[0].message;

// Step 2: Check if the model wants to call a function
if (message.tool_calls) {
  messages.push(message);

  // Step 3: Execute each tool call
  for (const toolCall of message.tool_calls) {
    const args = JSON.parse(toolCall.function.arguments);
    const fn = functionMap[toolCall.function.name];
    const result = fn(args.location, args.unit);

    messages.push({
      role: "tool",
      tool_call_id: toolCall.id,
      content: result,
    });
  }

  // Step 4: Get the final response
  const finalResponse = await client.chat.completions.create({
    model: "glm-5",
    messages,
    tools,
  });

  console.log(finalResponse.choices[0].message.content);
} else {
  console.log(message.content);
}

Response Format

When a model decides to call a tool, the response includes a tool_calls array:

{
  "choices": [
    {
      "message": {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": " I'll check the current weather in San Francisco for you.  ",
        "tool_calls": [
          {
            "id": "call_abc123",
            "type": "function",
            "function": {
              "name": "get_weather",
              "arguments": "{\"location\": \"San Francisco\"}"
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "finish_reason": "tool_calls"
    }
  ]
}

When finish_reason is "tool_calls", the model is requesting function execution. The content field may contain a brief message or be null — always check for tool_calls first regardless of whether content is present.

Multiple Tools

You can define multiple tools and the model will choose which to call:

tools = [
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "get_weather",
            "description": "Get current weather for a location",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "location": {"type": "string"}
                },
                "required": ["location"]
            }
        }
    },
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "search_web",
            "description": "Search the web for information",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "query": {"type": "string"}
                },
                "required": ["query"]
            }
        }
    },
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "get_stock_price",
            "description": "Get the current stock price",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "symbol": {"type": "string", "description": "Stock ticker symbol"}
                },
                "required": ["symbol"]
            }
        }
    }
]

Tips

Write clear function descriptions

The model uses the description field to decide when to call a function. Be specific about what the function does and when it should be used.

// Good
"description": "Get the current weather forecast for a specific city. Returns temperature, conditions, and humidity."

// Bad
"description": "weather"

Use detailed parameter descriptions

Help the model provide the right arguments by describing each parameter clearly, including format expectations and valid values.

"location": {
  "type": "string",
  "description": "City and state, e.g. 'San Francisco, CA' or 'New York, NY'"
}

Handle the tool call loop

Always check finish_reason — if it’s "tool_calls", execute the functions and send results back. The model may call multiple functions in sequence before giving a final answer.

Next Steps

Available Models

See which models support function calling.

Chat Completions API

Full API reference for chat completions.

Vision Guide

Send images to vision-capable models.

Quickstart

Get started with your first API call.

Getting Started

Models

Guides

SDKs

AI Coding Tools

Agent Frameworks

Workflow Automation

Chat UIs

Tool Calling (Function Calling)

Tool Calling (Function Calling)

Supported Models

How It Works

Basic Example

Complete Tool Calling Loop

Response Format

Multiple Tools

Tips

Next Steps

Available Models

Chat Completions API

Vision Guide

Quickstart

Getting Started

Models

Guides

SDKs

AI Coding Tools

Agent Frameworks

Workflow Automation

Chat UIs

​Tool Calling (Function Calling)

​Supported Models

​How It Works

​Basic Example

​Complete Tool Calling Loop

​Response Format

​Multiple Tools

​Tips

​Next Steps

Available Models

Chat Completions API

Vision Guide

Quickstart

Tool Calling (Function Calling)

Supported Models

How It Works

Basic Example

Complete Tool Calling Loop

Response Format

Multiple Tools

Tips

Next Steps