Tools

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Available Tools

The AI SDK Assistant provides 13+ specialized tools that your AI assistant can use to search SDK documentation, code examples, and technical references. Your AI automatically selects the best tool for your question, but understanding what’s available helps you ask better questions.

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General Search Tools

These are the most commonly used tools for broad searches across all content types.

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search_sdk

Purpose: Intelligent multi-modal search with AI intent mapping Best for:

• General questions about SDK features
• Conceptual queries (“how do I…”)
• When you don’t know the exact API name

How it works:

• Uses AI to understand your intent
• Expands queries with technical synonyms
• Searches across all content types

Example queries:

• “How do I connect to a camera?”
• “What APIs control focus?”
• “Show me how to start live view”

Strengths:

• ✅ Understands natural language
• ✅ Finds relevant results even with vague queries
• ✅ Good for exploratory searches

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Slower than other tools (AI processing time)
• ⚠️ May timeout on very complex queries

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search_hybrid

Purpose: Combined semantic and exact match search Best for:

• Balanced search when you have some keywords
• Finding specific features with context
• When semantic search alone isn’t precise enough

How it works:

• Combines vector similarity search with metadata filtering
• Faster than search_sdk (no AI intent mapping)
• Returns results ranked by relevance

Example queries:

• “SetSaveInfo parameters”
• “camera compatibility for focus position”
• “error code 0x80010001”

Strengths:

• ✅ Faster than search_sdk
• ✅ More precise than pure semantic search
• ✅ Good balance of speed and accuracy

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Less flexible with natural language

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search_with_intent_analysis

Purpose: Advanced query expansion for complex questions Best for:

• Multi-part questions
• Complex technical queries
• When simple search doesn’t return good results

How it works:

• Deep AI analysis of query intent
• Generates multiple search variations
• Aggregates and ranks results

Example queries:

• “What’s the difference between V1.14 and V2.00 connection APIs?”
• “How do I handle errors when camera disconnects during capture?”

Strengths:

• ✅ Best for complex queries
• ✅ Most intelligent interpretation

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Slowest tool (deep AI processing)
• ⚠️ Higher chance of timeout
• ⚠️ May return too many results

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Specialized Search Tools

These tools filter results by content type for more targeted searches.

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search_code_examples

Purpose: Find working C++ or C# code examples Parameters:

• language: “cpp” or “csharp”
• query: What you’re trying to implement
• top_k: Number of results (default: 5)

Best for:

• Getting copy-paste ready code
• Learning SDK usage patterns
• Language-specific implementations

Example queries:

• “capture image” (language: cpp)
• “connect to camera” (language: csharp)
• “handle camera events” (language: cpp)

Strengths:

• ✅ Returns actual working code
• ✅ Language-filtered results
• ✅ Includes context and comments

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Limited to available SDK examples
• ⚠️ May not cover all edge cases

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search_documentation

Purpose: Search guides, tutorials, and explanatory text only Best for:

• Understanding concepts
• Learning workflows
• Getting high-level overviews

Example queries:

• “camera connection workflow”
• “SDK initialization steps”
• “live view streaming explained”

Strengths:

• ✅ Filters out code and API references
• ✅ Returns readable explanations
• ✅ Good for learning

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Doesn’t include API details

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search_api_functions

Purpose: Find API function definitions and signatures Best for:

• Looking up function parameters
• Understanding return types
• Finding related functions

Example queries:

• “SetSaveInfo”
• “Connect function”
• “release shutter API”

Strengths:

• ✅ Returns complete function signatures
• ✅ Includes parameter descriptions
• ✅ Fast and precise

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Doesn’t include usage examples

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search_compatibility

Purpose: Search camera compatibility tables Best for:

• Checking which cameras support specific features
• Model-specific capabilities
• Feature availability by camera

Example queries:

• “which cameras support focus position control”
• “A7 IV live view capabilities”
• “remote capture compatibility”

Strengths:

• ✅ Returns structured compatibility data
• ✅ Model-specific information
• ✅ Helpful for hardware planning

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Only as current as indexed tables
• ⚠️ May not include latest camera models

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Exact Match Tools

These tools perform precise lookups using exact names or codes.

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search_exact_api

Purpose: Look up APIs by exact name Best for:

• When you know the API name
• Quick reference lookups
• Finding specific functions

Example queries:

• “SetSaveInfo”
• “Connect”
• “GetDeviceProperty”

Strengths:

• ✅ Fastest tool
• ✅ Most precise results
• ✅ Returns all related documentation

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Requires exact API name
• ⚠️ Won’t find results with typos

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search_error_codes

Purpose: Look up SDK error codes Best for:

• Debugging error messages
• Understanding error meanings
• Finding solutions to errors

Example queries:

• “0x80010001”
• “SDK_ERROR_TIMEOUT”

Strengths:

• ✅ Quick error resolution
• ✅ Includes error descriptions

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Limited to documented error codes

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search_warning_codes

Purpose: Look up SDK warning codes Best for:

• Understanding warnings
• Determining if warnings can be ignored
• Warning-specific troubleshooting

Strengths:

• ✅ Specific to warnings (not errors)
• ✅ Helps distinguish warning severity

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search_by_source_file

Purpose: Search within specific SDK source files Parameters:

• file_name: Name of the source file
• query: What to search for in that file

Best for:

• Deep-diving into specific modules
• Understanding file-specific implementations
• Debugging specific components

Example queries:

• file_name: “CameraDevice.cpp”, query: “Connect”
• file_name: “LiveViewProcessor.h”, query: “frame handling”

Strengths:

• ✅ Highly targeted searches
• ✅ Useful for code exploration

Limitations:

• ⚠️ Requires knowing file names
• ⚠️ Very specific use case

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Version Management Tools

These tools let you switch between SDK versions or check which version you’re querying.

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get_sdk_version

Purpose: Check which SDK version is currently active Returns: Current SDK version (e.g., “V2.00.00”) Use case: Verify you’re searching the right version

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list_sdk_versions

Purpose: See all available SDK versions Returns: List of indexed SDK versions (V1.14.00, V2.00.00) Use case: Discover which versions AI SDK Assistant supports

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set_sdk_version

Purpose: Switch between SDK versions Parameters:

• version: “V1.14.00” or “V2.00.00”

Best for:

• Comparing APIs across versions
• Finding version-specific information
• Working with legacy SDKs

Example:

• Set to V1.14.00 to find legacy API documentation
• Switch to V2.00.00 for latest features

Note: Changes persist for your session

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System Information Tools

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get_sdk_stats

Purpose: View database statistics and performance metrics Returns:

• Total indexed content
• Content type breakdown
• Database health status

Use case: Understand AI SDK Assistant’s knowledge base scope

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Tool Selection Guide

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When to Use Which Tool

Your Goal	Recommended Tool	Why
Explore SDK features	search_sdk	Natural language understanding
Find specific API	search_exact_api	Fastest, most precise
Get code examples	search_code_examples	Language-filtered code
Debug an error	search_error_codes	Error-specific lookup
Learn concepts	search_documentation	Text-only explanations
Check compatibility	search_compatibility	Hardware-specific data
Complex question	search_with_intent_analysis	Advanced AI processing
Balanced search	search_hybrid	Speed + accuracy

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Best Practices

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Need Help?

If you’re not getting good results:

1. Try a different approach - Rephrase your question with more context
2. Be specific - Include API names, camera models, or error codes when known
3. Check your SDK version - Make sure you’re searching the right version
4. Ask your AI assistant - It can help refine your query

The AI assistant will automatically choose the best tool, but understanding what’s available helps you ask better questions!