For AI agents: The documentation index is at https://docs.digitalocean.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of pages use the same URL with index.html.md in place of the HTML page (for example, append index.html.md to the directory path instead of opening the HTML document).

Action Gateway’s action_search meta tool discovers catalog tools from a description of the task you want to complete. It returns tool definitions rather than executing the tools, so an agent can inspect the required inputs before making a call.

Search ranks tools by relevance to the described task and narrows the results to tools the session can access. The agent receives a limited set of candidate tools and their schemas instead of the full catalog. This reduces the definitions it needs to evaluate and the model context spent on tools unrelated to the task.

Tool search is included in Action Gateway pricing. Calls to action_search do not incur a tool-call charge.

Search Queries

A search request contains a queries array with one to five use cases. Describe the action and intended outcome in use_case, including the provider when it matters. Separate independent actions into separate queries.

For example, pass the following arguments to action_search to find tools for listing Droplet sizes:

{
  "queries": [
    {
      "use_case": "List available DigitalOcean Droplet sizes"
    }
  ],
  "limit": 5
}

Optional providers and tags filters narrow every query in the request. The limit field caps the number of returned tools per query.

Use known_fields for short, structured workflow inputs that are already known. It accepts a string of comma-separated key:value pairs, not an object or array. Do not put credentials or long message bodies into search queries.

Search Results and Permissions

Results are grouped by query. Inspect the returned tool name, version, description, and input schema rather than guessing a tool’s name or arguments. Pass the chosen tool to action_invoke or use it from action_code.

Search respects the session’s tool selection and filters out tools that have no permitted invocation. A result is not an authorization decision for a particular set of arguments. The gateway evaluates the policy again when the tool runs, and the tool may require approval or a provider connection.

An empty result can mean that no catalog tool matches the query or that the session cannot access a matching tool. Refine the query or check the session’s tool selection and policy. Pure computation can use action_code without a catalog search.

Search and Preloading

Search discovers tools as needed and adds only the returned definitions to the agent’s context. Use it when the task could require tools you have not chosen in advance. Describe the intended outcome and limit results to keep discovery focused.

Preloading instead adds selected tool definitions directly to the session’s MCP tool list at creation. The agent can use these tools without a discovery call, but their definitions consume context even when the task does not need them. Preload a small set of known, frequently used tools and use search for the rest. Neither mechanism expands the session’s tool permissions.