Use case
Web research agent with an API tool
Updated September 17, 2026
Some questions need live data. Instead of hard-coding the calls, attach an HTTP Request node to an agent as a tool. The agent decides when to call it, with which arguments, and how many times.
How the workflow runs
- The trigger carries a research question.
- The research agent has one tool: an HTTP Request node connected to its
toolsport with a dashed tool edge. - The agent calls the tool as often as it needs, up to its max tool rounds (6 by default), then writes the summary.
- The Output node marks the summary as the workflow result.
Describe the tool
The tool node's description and argument schema are what the model sees. Reference the arguments in the URL with {{ args.<field> }}.
URL: https://api.example.com/search?q={{ args.query }}
Tool description:
Search articles. Call once per distinct query.
Tool arguments (JSON Schema):
{
"type": "object",
"properties": { "query": { "type": "string" } },
"required": ["query"]
}When a call fails
A failing tool does not fail the run. The agent receives an error result and can retry with different arguments or explain what it could not find. Every call and response is recorded on the run for replay.
Keep it bounded
Keep reading
- HTTP Request node: call any API, or give an agent a toolThe HTTP Request node calls any API as a workflow step, or attaches to a Claude agent as a tool it can call with its own arguments.
- Credentials and securityHow Novalink stores API keys and protects workflows: encrypted credentials, secret redaction in run history, SSRF protection for HTTP nodes, and sandboxed templates.
- Execution controls: retries, timeouts and error handlingControl how Novalink runs AI workflows: per-node retries with backoff, timeouts and error modes, and run-wide parallelism, timeouts and token caps.
Build it on the canvas
Create a free account and run your first workflow in the browser, or run Novalink on your own machine.