How to correctly create a function description

Prompting
, ,
1

I have this AI bot helping the user to set a new habit.
As a first question it usually asks what is the habit the user wants to set.
I want then get this input and store the new habit description in my db using function calling but the function is not called when I want.

As example with this easy fn description:

{
            name: "habitDefined",
            description: "New habit has been defined by the user",
            parameters: {
                type: "object",
                properties: {
                    habit: {
                        type: "string",
                        description: "Habit that the user wants to set",
                    },
                },
                required: ["habit"],
            },
        }

I had this chat:

AI: Hello! How can I assist you today? Are you looking to set a new habit?
USER: I want to start running as a new habit
// Here I wanted the function to be called but was not
....
USER: what is my new habit?
// Here instead the function has been called

How should I better define the function name and description to be called after the user describes it instead of when the user asks for it?

1 Like
3

Try defining the tool name with a brief description of what it does embedded into it, and its description written like system prompts where you use second-person directives with context.

{
  "type": "function",
  "function": {
    "name": "save_user_defined_habits",
    "description": "ALWAYS use this tool when a user indicates they want to track or develop a new habit. This tool will save the habit to the database.",
    "parameters": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "habit": {
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "habit"
      ]
    }
  }
}
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