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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://anam.ai/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

System tools are built-in tools that run directly inside the Anam engine. Unlike client, webhook, or knowledge tools which make external calls, system tools execute instantly within the session to control engine behavior. Every persona can use system tools — you just need to attach them. No external endpoints, no client-side handlers, no additional setup required.

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Available System Tools

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change_language

Allows the persona to dynamically switch the speech recognition language mid-session based on user requests. When invoked, the engine updates the transcription pipeline to expect the new language. This is useful for multilingual applications where users may switch languages during a conversation.
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type
string
required
Must be "system"
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name
string
required
Must be "change_language"
Tool parameters (set automatically by the LLM):
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language_code
string
required
ISO 639-1 language code (e.g., "fr", "de", "ja")
Supported languages: The tool supports 50+ languages including: en, af, ar, hy, az, be, bs, bg, ca, zh, hr, cs, da, nl, et, fi, fr, gl, de, el, he, hi, hu, is, id, it, ja, kn, kk, ko, lv, lt, mk, ms, mi, mr, ne, no, fa, pl, pt, ro, ru, sr, sk, sl, es, sw, sv, tl, ta, th, tr, uk, ur, vi, cy. Example conversation:
User: “Can you switch to French? Je préfère parler en français.” Persona calls change_language with language_code: "fr" → speech recognition now expects French input. Persona: “Bien sûr ! Je vous écoute en français maintenant.”
This tool only changes the transcription language — what the system expects to hear from users. For a fully multilingual experience, your persona also needs a multilingual TTS voice and an LLM that supports the target language. See the Multilingual guide for more on language configuration.

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skip_turn

Allows the persona to skip generating a spoken response and wait silently for the user to continue speaking. This is useful when the persona determines that no verbal response is needed — for example, when the user is in the middle of a thought or when silence is the most natural response.
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type
string
required
Must be "system"
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name
string
required
Must be "skip_turn"
Tool parameters (set automatically by the LLM):
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timeout_seconds
number
How long to wait in seconds before prompting the user again. Defaults to 30. Must be a positive number.
Example conversation:
User: “Hold on, let me think about this…” Persona calls skip_turn with timeout_seconds: 30 → stays silent for up to 30 seconds. The persona waits quietly until the user speaks again or the timeout elapses.
The skip_turn tool helps create more natural conversation flow by preventing the persona from filling every pause with speech. Consider adding guidance in your system prompt about when the persona should use this tool.

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Adding System Tools to a Persona

System tools are already available to every organization — you don’t need to create them. Just fetch the tool IDs and attach them to your persona or session.

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Step 1: Fetch System Tool IDs

Use the tools API to find the system tools available to your account: 
curl -X GET 'https://api.anam.ai/v1/tools' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'
The response includes the tool IDs you’ll need: 
{
  "tools": [
    {
      "id": "system-tool-uuid-1",
      "type": "system",
      "name": "change_language",
      ...
    },
    {
      "id": "system-tool-uuid-2",
      "type": "system",
      "name": "skip_turn",
      ...
    }
  ]
}

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Step 2: Attach to a Session or Persona

Use the tool IDs in the toolIds array when creating a session token: 
const response = await fetch("https://api.anam.ai/v1/auth/session-token", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ANAM_API_KEY}`,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    personaConfig: {
      name: "Multilingual Assistant",
      avatarId: "avatar-uuid",
      voiceId: "voice-uuid",
      llmId: "llm-uuid",
      systemPrompt:
        "You are a helpful assistant. If the user asks to switch languages, use the change_language tool. If the user needs time to think, use the skip_turn tool to wait silently.",
      toolIds: ["system-tool-uuid-1", "system-tool-uuid-2"],
    },
  }),
});
Or attach them to an existing persona: 
PUT /v1/personas/{personaId}
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

{
  "toolIds": ["system-tool-uuid-1", "system-tool-uuid-2", "other-tool-id"]
}
System tools are pre-provisioned for all organizations. You only need to fetch the IDs once — they remain the same across sessions.

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How System Tools Differ from Other Tools

System ToolsClient ToolsWebhook ToolsKnowledge Tools
Runs whereInside the engineIn your client appExternal HTTP endpointEngine-side RAG search
LatencyNear-instantDepends on clientNetwork dependentDepends on corpus size
Setup neededJust type + nameClient-side handlerURL + endpointDocument upload
Use caseSession controlUI actionsExternal APIsDocument search

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Next Steps

Multilingual Support

Learn more about configuring languages for your personas

Tools Overview

Explore all tool types available in Anam
Last modified on April 29, 2026