## Managing tools

The Tools screen is the centralized interface for viewing and managing all tools available to AI agents through your Agen for SaaS MCP Gateway.

![tools-list](/assets/tools-page.12de8c05b05da1eacde977cd9501af62d8db8a4df1fad6ab3694b3d09ec15ea6.212f8da4.png)

### Tools list view

The Tools screen displays the following header:

> **Tools** — Power your agents with built-in Frontegg capabilities and connect external tools via seamless OAuth


The list includes a **search bar** and a **Methods** filter dropdown (default: "Any") that lets you filter tools by HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).

Each tool is displayed as a row in a table with the following columns:

| Column | Description |
|  --- | --- |
| **Tool name** | The unique identifier for the tool (e.g., `ApprovalFlowsController_approverA...`, `Get_expense_by_ID`). |
| **Tool description** | A truncated preview of the tool's description (e.g., "Make a POST request to /identity/re...", "Retrieve a specific expense by its ID"). |
| **Source name** | The source this tool belongs to (e.g., `Frontegg`, `default`). |
| **Tool API** | A badge showing the HTTP method and path (e.g., `POST /identity/resources/approval-...`, `GET /api/receipts/{id}`). Method badges are color-coded. |
| **Enable** | A toggle switch to enable or disable the tool. |
| **Delete** | A trash icon to permanently delete the tool. |


### Editing a tool

Click any tool row to open the **Edit tool** side panel. The panel contains the following editable fields:

| Field | Description | Limit |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| **Tool name** | The unique identifier for the tool. | — |
| **Tool description** | A detailed description of what the tool does. AI agents use this to understand the tool's purpose. | 2,000 characters |
| **Tool API** | Two fields: an HTTP method dropdown (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and a path text field (e.g., `/api/receipts/{id}`). | — |


Click **Save** to apply changes, or **Cancel** to discard. The side panel can be closed with the X button.

### Enabling and disabling tools

Each tool has a toggle switch in the **Enable** column:

- **Enabled** — The tool is active and discoverable by AI agents through the MCP `list_tools` endpoint.
- **Disabled** — The tool is hidden from AI agents. The tool definition is preserved and can be re-enabled at any time.


Toggling a tool's state takes effect immediately. Disabled tools do not appear in tool discovery responses and cannot be invoked.

### Deleting a tool

Click the trash icon next to a tool to permanently delete it. Deletion is irreversible — the tool and all its configuration (including any access control rules or policy references that include it) are removed.

### Filtering tools

Use the controls at the top of the Tools screen to find specific tools:

- **Search** — Type in the search bar to filter tools by name or description.
- **Methods filter** — Select a specific HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) from the dropdown to show only tools with that method. Set to "Any" to show all tools.


### Best practices

- **Review descriptions after import** — Auto-generated descriptions from OpenAPI specs may be generic (e.g., "Make a POST request to..."). Rewrite them to clearly explain the business action the tool performs.
- **Disable rather than delete** — If you are unsure whether a tool is still needed, disable it first. You can re-enable it later without recreating it.
- **Use the Methods filter** — When reviewing tools, filter by method to quickly find all write operations (POST, PUT, DELETE) that may need stricter access control or policies.


### Related topics

- [About tools](/agen-for-saas/tools/about-tools)
- [Sources](/agen-for-saas/sources/overview)
- [Access control](/agen-for-saas/access-control/overview)
- [Policies](/agen-for-saas/policies/overview)