Function calling is the pattern of instructing a language model to produce structured output (typically JSON conforming to a schema) that specifies which pre-defined function to invoke and with what arguments. Its parameters include the function schema (name, description, typed parameters), the output format specification, and the routing mechanism that maps the model's structured response to actual function execution. It persists as an API convention implemented across AI framework tool-use interfaces and model provider specifications, maintained by the ongoing development of machine-interpretable action specification. [formal: functio_callis | substrate: mind | horizon: hours | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.11]
Accepted ontology entry
function calling
Function calling is the pattern of instructing a language model to produce structured output (typically JSON conforming to a schema) that specifies which pre-defined function to invoke and with what arguments. Its parameters include the fu…
Definition
Why it is in scope
Function calling is the human-made pattern of instructing language models to produce structured output (typically JSON) that specifies which pre-defined function to invoke and with what arguments. It persists through API specifications, schema definitions (JSON Schema, OpenAPI), and the tool-use protocol that allows models to interact with external systems — a design pattern established by the model developers and adopted by application builders to extend model capabilities beyond text generation.
Names and aliases
- function callingen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrmefzfr00eudveaiyr1pcc2DERIVED_FROM →
Schema (structured format/specification for data) existed long before function calling in language models. The concept of a schema fed into function calling as a construct: function calling is essentially schema-defined tool specifications passed through a language model. Chronological and conceptual lineage is clear.
- cmrptit1i081yd1nl422pcy9zINSTANCE_OF →
Function calling is a specific kind of prompting technique: the prompt defines available functions and instructs the model to output structured function invocations. A competent speaker would call function calling 'a kind of prompting.' Nearest kind check: no intermediate category between function calling and prompting — it is directly a sub-type of prompting.
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Record identity
- Created
- Aug 10, 2026, 7:30 PM UTC
- Content hash
- a2c747fd4f17a2f809128261c707ca804c801ad12e016b75eca4b31168fb4a58