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Learn how to extend ToolUniverse with your own custom tools. This section provides comprehensive guides for creating, registering, and contributing tools to the ToolUniverse ecosystem.

What You’ll Learn

• 🏠 Local Tool Development: Create tools that run within ToolUniverse

• 🔗 Remote Tool Integration: Connect with external services and APIs

• 📤 Community Contributions: Submit your tools to the ToolUniverse repository

• 🔧 Advanced Patterns: Best practices and advanced development techniques

Quick Start

I want to quickly try creating a tool: → Create Your First Tool - 5-minute tutorial to create your first tool

I want to learn tool development systematically: → Choose your path:

• Local tools: Local Tools Tutorial - Python classes for API wrappers, data processing

• Remote tools: Remote Tools Tutorial - MCP servers for microservices, heavy computation

I want to contribute tools to the community: → Choose your tool type:

• Local tools: Contributing Local Tools to ToolUniverse - Submit Python tools (requires modifying __init__.py)

• Remote tools: Contributing Remote Tools to ToolUniverse - Submit MCP servers (requires deployment)

• Complete guide: Contributing to ToolUniverse - Full contribution guidelines with code examples

I want to understand the differences: → Reference Documentation - Compare tool types and usage scenarios

Tool Types Overview

Local Tools

Local tools are Python classes that run within the same process as ToolUniverse. They provide:

• High Performance: No network overhead

• Easy Development: Simple Python classes

• Automatic Discovery: Tools auto-register with decorators

• Full Integration: Access to all ToolUniverse features

Best for: - API wrappers and data processing - File manipulation utilities - Lightweight computational tools

Key Point: Contributing local tools requires modifying __init__.py in 4 specific locations.

Remote Tools

Remote tools allow you to integrate external services, APIs, or tools running on different servers. They provide:

• Scalability: Offload heavy computation to dedicated servers

• Integration: Connect with existing systems and services

• Flexibility: Use tools in different programming languages

• Isolation: Keep sensitive operations separate

Best for: - External API integrations - Microservice connections - Cloud-based AI services - Proprietary system connections

Key Point: Contributing remote tools requires providing a publicly accessible server or detailed deployment documentation.

Development Workflow

1. Plan Your Tool - Define functionality and requirements - Choose between local or remote implementation - Design API and parameter structure

2. Develop Your Tool - Implement core functionality - Add proper error handling - Write comprehensive tests

3. Document Your Tool - Create clear documentation - Provide usage examples - Document all parameters and outputs

4. Test Thoroughly - Unit tests for all functionality - Integration tests with ToolUniverse - Test edge cases and error conditions

5. Submit for Review (if contributing) - Follow contribution guidelines - Create pull request - Address review feedback

Examples

For detailed examples and code samples, see:

• Local Tools: Local Tools Tutorial - Complete examples with step-by-step instructions

• Remote Tools: Remote Tools Tutorial - MCP integration and API examples

• Quick Start: Create Your First Tool - Simple 5-minute example to get started

Getting Help

If you need help with tool development:

• Documentation: Check the specific guides for detailed information

• Examples: Look at existing tools in the codebase

• Community: Ask questions in GitHub discussions

• Issues: Report bugs or request features

Next Steps

Ready to start? Choose your path:

• 🚀 Quick Start: Create Your First Tool - Create your first tool in 5 minutes

• 🏠 Local Tools: Local Tools Tutorial - Learn local tool development

• 🔗 Remote Tools: Remote Tools Tutorial - Learn remote tool integration

• 🎁 Contributing: Contributing to ToolUniverse - Submit tools to the community

• 🔍 Understanding: Review the tool type comparison table in Contributing to ToolUniverse

Tip

Getting Started: We recommend starting with the quick start tutorial to understand the basics, then choosing the appropriate detailed guide based on your needs. The community is here to help you succeed!