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When creating an chat-gpt assistant in OpenAI we can select from built-in tools like code interpreter or specify a Function type tool. Function type tools run in the client code calling the assistant. In Zapier’s integrations chat-gpt’s assistant (create assistant or conversation with assistant) I can select an internal tool (e.g., code interpreter) but I don’t see an option for Function type tools. I can select Custom and pick a list of variables/parameters but no function (actions?) the assistant can use. It is not clear to me how the Custom list of parameters are used. Am I misunderstanding how to use the Custom option?

Ultimately my goal is to enable the assistant to search the web to help with answers. OpenAI assistants (unlike GPTs) cannot do it by themselves, the need to use Function tools. It is not clear to me if it is possible to do this in Zapier.

Can you expand on more of what you want to do? (Is it internal/external? Is this part of a larger Zap? What data is going in vs what do you expect out? etc)

Additionally, I’d encourage you to check out Zapier Agents. It’s a new release that does have web search and document search capabilities!  https://zapier.com/agents

Thanks for the question. Let me try to explain it better. Scenario: I capture request from users from different integration apps and direct them to an assistant, which can search the web. I inform the threadID associated with a user so that the assistant can use thread history (something OpenAI will do automatically) to answer questions. The assistant can also search the web.

Regarding Zapier Agents, my understanding is that Zapier Agents do not keep thread/conversation history independently for different users and I would need to keep that information myself and provide that to the Agent, like a OpenAI completion API. Also an OpenAI assistant is portable while the Zapier Agent would not be.

Ah, that makes sense. I did some more digging into this, and here’s what I’m seeing as some options:

  1. You might be best off using the “API request (beta)”  (in the OpenAI integration) action instead of the conversation with assistant in the ChatGPT integration. This would let you configure it fully to access the tools the built-in integration is lacking. 
  2. You could also run a different step before that (or in the middle) that uses a different API to search the web. Bing Web search has a robust API with decent pricing. You can also use Perplexity. Then take those results to feed the assistant.
  3. You could explore using Zapier agents to run a search when another Zap executes (as a trigger) and add that to information another Zap can access. 

One base idea that’s helped me with building out more complex workflows is actually setting up each component of the workflow as its own Zap first. (Planning in Zapier Canvas is great for this!)

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

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