---
type: "Glossary term"
title: "Tool discovery"
description: "Finding that a capability exists (catalogues, agent cards, registries)."
tags: [glossary]
generated: { by: human:crpage, at: 2026-07-09T09:44:00Z }
aliases: "tool discovery"
status: stable
---

# Definition
Finding **that** a capability exists — via catalogues, [OpenAPI](../standards/openapi.md) docs, [agent cards](agent-card.md) or protocol registries. Distinct from [tool retrieval](tool-retrieval.md), which narrows a large set at inference time.

# Used in this bundle
Appears in: [discovery-and-retrieval](../stack/discovery-and-retrieval.md), [uk-api-catalogue](../uk-government/uk-api-catalogue.md).

# Related terms
[tool retrieval](tool-retrieval.md), [agent card](agent-card.md).