Reject a tool call

Throws an error to reject a tool call. tool_reject() can be used within the tool function to indicate that the tool call should not be processed. tool_reject() can also be called in an Chat$on_tool_request() callback. When used in the callback, the tool call is rejected before the tool function is invoked.

Here's an example where utils::askYesNo() is used to ask the user for permission before accessing their current working directory. This happens directly in the tool function and is appropriate when you write the tool definition and know exactly how it will be called.

chat <- chat_openai(model = "gpt-4.1-nano")

list_files <- function() {
  allow_read <- utils::askYesNo(
    "Would you like to allow access to your current directory?"
  )
  if (isTRUE(allow_read)) {
    dir(pattern = "[.](r|R|csv)$")
  } else {
    tool_reject()
  }
}

chat$register_tool(tool(
  list_files,
  "List files in the user's current directory"
))

chat$chat("What files are available in my current directory?")
#> [tool call] list_files()
#> Would you like to allow access to your current directory? (Yes/no/cancel) no
#> #> Error: Tool call rejected. The user has chosen to disallow the tool #' call.
#> It seems I am unable to access the files in your current directory right now.
#> If you can tell me what specific files you're looking for or if you can #' provide
#> the list, I can assist you further.

chat$chat("Try again.")
#> [tool call] list_files()
#> Would you like to allow access to your current directory? (Yes/no/cancel) yes
#> #> app.R
#> #> data.csv
#> The files available in your current directory are "app.R" and "data.csv".

You can achieve a similar experience with tools written by others by using a tool_request callback. In the next example, imagine the tool is provided by a third-party package. This example implements a simple menu to ask the user for consent before running any tool.

packaged_list_files_tool <- tool(
  function() dir(pattern = "[.](r|R|csv)$"),
  "List files in the user's current directory"
)

chat <- chat_openai(model = "gpt-4.1-nano")
chat$register_tool(packaged_list_files_tool)

always_allowed <- c()

# ContentToolRequest
chat$on_tool_request(function(request) {
  if (request@name %in% always_allowed) return()

  answer <- utils::menu(
    title = sprintf("Allow tool `%s()` to run?", request@name),
    choices = c("Always", "Once", "No"),
    graphics = FALSE
  )

  if (answer == 1) {
    always_allowed <<- append(always_allowed, request@name)
  } else if (answer %in% c(0, 3)) {
    tool_reject()
  }
})

# Try choosing different answers to the menu each time
chat$chat("What files are available in my current directory?")
chat$chat("How about now?")
chat$chat("And again now?")

Usage

tool_reject(reason = "The user has chosen to disallow the tool call.")

Arguments

reason: A character string describing the reason for rejecting the tool call.

Value

Throws an error of class ellmer_tool_reject with the provided reason.

Usage

Arguments

Value

See also