How can I force the Agent to always use the Vector Store Tool in my Workflow?

Based on the documentation and available configuration options, there isn’t a built-in “layer routing” mechanism to force the agent to call one tool before considering others. The agent selects a tool based on the prompt text, the description of each tool, and the order in which the tools are provided. When multiple tools like Slack or Airtable are present, they might be more appealing for the agent’s decision process even if their description is adjusted.

To improve the consistency of the Vector Store Tool being called, consider the following approaches:

1. Prompt Engineering:
   Adjust the system message and the prompt for the AI Agent to clearly state that under the current context the Vector Store Tool should always be used. For example, you could include an instruction such as:

   “When answering the query, please always retrieve the necessary context from the vector store using the Vector Store Tool and ignore any other available tools.”

2. Tool Description Tuning:
   Make sure the description of the Vector Store Tool is unambiguous and highlights that it is the preferred (or only) tool for the task at hand. Changing the wording can make the tool’s purpose more clear to the agent.

3. Minimize Confusing Options:
   If possible, reduce the number of available tools when you expect the agent to use the Vector Store Tool. As you’ve observed, removing Slack and Airtable causes the desired behavior. This demonstrates that when fewer options are available, the agent’s decision becomes more predictable.

4. Iterative Testing:
   Use small modifications to the prompt and tool descriptions, then test the workflow. The goal is to create an environment where the agent understands that the Vector Store Tool is the primary source of information.

Remember, the current behavior results from how the AI agent processes available tools via Langchain’s tool calling interface. There is no dedicated setting that enforces a hard routing order—all routing is governed by the prompt and the descriptions provided.

To summarize: while a strict layer routing isn’t available, refining your prompt and tool descriptions is the best way to drive the agent to prioritize the Vector Store Tool consistently.