Workbench / Issues

Tool Call Contract Mismatch

The AI or agent calls a tool with names, arguments, types, modes, or shapes that do not match the declared tool interface.

What This Looks Like

The AI or agent tries to call a tool, function, MCP endpoint, connector, or integration with a name, argument, mode, type, or payload shape that does not match the declared interface. The tool may reject the call, run with missing data, return an error, or behave differently than the user expected.

Why It Matters

Tool calls are boundary crossings. When the call does not match the tool contract, the failure can block execution, corrupt downstream state, hide the real cause behind a generic error, or make the agent appear less capable than it is. The problem may sit between the AI output and the tool interface, not inside either one alone.

Structural Signal

A declared tool interface exists, but the observed call does not conform to that interface. The issue is not simply that the tool failed; it is that the AI-generated call and the tool’s declared contract do not line up.

Common Triggers

When to Use This Issue

Use this Issue when the central failure is a mismatch between the tool call produced by the AI or agent and the declared tool, function, connector, or MCP interface.

When Not to Use This Issue

Do not use this Issue when the tool contract is correct but the tool itself is unavailable, disabled, or unsupported in the current environment. Do not use it when the output is invalid JSON but no tool interface is involved.

Category

MCP, Tools & Integrations

Primary Pattern

PAT-0150 — Interface Mismatch

Declared Patterns

Derived Primary Lenses

Derived Secondary Lenses

Search Intents

Ontology Metadata

Code
ISS-0017
Version
ISS-0017@0.1.0
Ontology release
0.1.0
Updated
2026-05-10T00:00:00Z

History

No public history entries recorded.

View full ontology changelog