> ## 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.
# System Tools
> Built-in tools available to all personas for session control like language switching and turn management
## 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.
## Available System Tools
### 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.
Must be `"system"`
Must be `"change_language"`
**Tool parameters (set automatically by the LLM):**
ISO 639-1 language code (e.g., `"fr"`, `"de"`, `"ja"`)
**Supported languages:**
The tool supports 70+ 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](/personas/voices/multilingual) for more on language configuration.
***
### 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.
Must be `"system"`
Must be `"skip_turn"`
**Tool parameters (set automatically by the LLM):**
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.
## 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.
### Step 1: Fetch System Tool IDs
Use the tools API to find the system tools available to your account:
```bash theme={"system"}
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:
```json theme={"system"}
{
"tools": [
{
"id": "system-tool-uuid-1",
"type": "system",
"name": "change_language",
...
},
{
"id": "system-tool-uuid-2",
"type": "system",
"name": "skip_turn",
...
}
]
}
```
### Step 2: Attach to a Session or Persona
Use the tool IDs in the `toolIds` array when creating a session token:
```javascript theme={"system"}
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:
```http theme={"system"}
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.
## How System Tools Differ from Other Tools
| | System Tools | Client Tools | Webhook Tools | Knowledge Tools |
| ---------------- | -------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------- |
| **Runs where** | Inside the engine | In your client app | External HTTP endpoint | Engine-side RAG search |
| **Latency** | Near-instant | Depends on client | Network dependent | Depends on corpus size |
| **Setup needed** | Just `type` + `name` | Client-side handler | URL + endpoint | Document upload |
| **Use case** | Session control | UI actions | External APIs | Document search |
## Next Steps
Learn more about configuring languages for your personas
Explore all tool types available in Anam