{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "id": "agent-tool-calls/2026-10",
  "series": "agent-tool-calls",
  "title": "Tools models call, October 2026",
  "topic": "agentic",
  "question": "Which tools do LLMs call most often in production?",
  "questions": [
    "What tools do AI agents call most?",
    "What share of LLM requests use tool calling?",
    "Which agent tools are most common: read, bash, edit or web search?"
  ],
  "description": "Tool names that models called, ranked by how many tool-using organizations saw each one, plus the overall share of requests with a tool call.",
  "period": "2026-10",
  "period_start": "2026-10-01",
  "period_end": "2026-10-31",
  "updated": "2026-11-11",
  "is_latest": true,
  "headline": "3.3% of chat requests in October 2026 returned at least one tool call. The most widely called tool name was \"read\", seen at 37.0% of organizations using tools.",
  "key_findings": [
    "Top tool names by reach: \"read\" (37.0%), \"bash\" (33.0%), \"edit\" (30.6%), \"write\" (30.3%), \"read_file\" (23.6%).",
    "\"bash\" appears in the most tool-call requests, 23.2% of them.",
    "shell moved the most since September 2026: reach went from 5.1% to 11.6% (+6.4 pp)."
  ],
  "columns": [
    {
      "key": "tool",
      "label": "Tool name",
      "unit": "text"
    },
    {
      "key": "org_reach",
      "label": "Share of tool-using organizations",
      "unit": "fraction"
    },
    {
      "key": "request_share",
      "label": "Share of tool-call requests",
      "unit": "fraction"
    },
    {
      "key": "sample_band",
      "label": "Organizations (band)",
      "unit": "text",
      "description": "Number of distinct organizations behind the row, in bands."
    }
  ],
  "rows": [
    {
      "tool": "read",
      "org_reach": 0.3696,
      "request_share": 0.0894,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "read"
    },
    {
      "tool": "bash",
      "org_reach": 0.3302,
      "request_share": 0.2323,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "bash"
    },
    {
      "tool": "edit",
      "org_reach": 0.3057,
      "request_share": 0.0308,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "edit"
    },
    {
      "tool": "write",
      "org_reach": 0.303,
      "request_share": 0.0142,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "write"
    },
    {
      "tool": "read_file",
      "org_reach": 0.2364,
      "request_share": 0.0138,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "read_file"
    },
    {
      "tool": "grep",
      "org_reach": 0.2283,
      "request_share": 0.0263,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "grep"
    },
    {
      "tool": "glob",
      "org_reach": 0.2188,
      "request_share": 0.0089,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "glob"
    },
    {
      "tool": "web_search",
      "org_reach": 0.2092,
      "request_share": 0.0193,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "web_search"
    },
    {
      "tool": "skill",
      "org_reach": 0.1549,
      "request_share": 0.0039,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "skill"
    },
    {
      "tool": "write_file",
      "org_reach": 0.1386,
      "request_share": 0.009,
      "sample_band": "100-499",
      "tool_label": "write_file"
    },
    {
      "tool": "terminal",
      "org_reach": 0.1345,
      "request_share": 0.0573,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "terminal"
    },
    {
      "tool": "webfetch",
      "org_reach": 0.1277,
      "request_share": 0.001,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "webfetch"
    },
    {
      "tool": "execute_code",
      "org_reach": 0.1196,
      "request_share": 0.0088,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "execute_code"
    },
    {
      "tool": "search_files",
      "org_reach": 0.1168,
      "request_share": 0.0058,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "search_files"
    },
    {
      "tool": "shell",
      "org_reach": 0.1155,
      "request_share": 0.0146,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "shell"
    },
    {
      "tool": "skill_view",
      "org_reach": 0.106,
      "request_share": 0.0053,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "skill_view"
    },
    {
      "tool": "patch",
      "org_reach": 0.1033,
      "request_share": 0.0075,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "patch"
    },
    {
      "tool": "websearch",
      "org_reach": 0.1019,
      "request_share": 0.0007,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "websearch"
    },
    {
      "tool": "skill_manage",
      "org_reach": 0.091,
      "request_share": 0.0034,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "skill_manage"
    },
    {
      "tool": "memory",
      "org_reach": 0.0829,
      "request_share": 0.0008,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "memory"
    },
    {
      "tool": "tool_call",
      "org_reach": 0.0802,
      "request_share": 0.0035,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "tool_call"
    },
    {
      "tool": "todowrite",
      "org_reach": 0.0788,
      "request_share": 0.0024,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "todowrite"
    },
    {
      "tool": "question",
      "org_reach": 0.0788,
      "request_share": 0.0004,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "question"
    },
    {
      "tool": "skills_list",
      "org_reach": 0.0774,
      "request_share": 0.0004,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "skills_list"
    },
    {
      "tool": "tool_search",
      "org_reach": 0.0774,
      "request_share": 0.0006,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "tool_search"
    },
    {
      "tool": "execute",
      "org_reach": 0.072,
      "request_share": 0.002,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "execute"
    },
    {
      "tool": "ask_user",
      "org_reach": 0.0679,
      "request_share": 0.0012,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "ask_user"
    },
    {
      "tool": "web_fetch",
      "org_reach": 0.0666,
      "request_share": 0.0007,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "web_fetch"
    },
    {
      "tool": "web_extract",
      "org_reach": 0.0639,
      "request_share": 0.0005,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "web_extract"
    },
    {
      "tool": "tool_describe",
      "org_reach": 0.0625,
      "request_share": 0.0005,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "tool_describe"
    },
    {
      "tool": "task",
      "org_reach": 0.0598,
      "request_share": 0.003,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "task"
    },
    {
      "tool": "exec",
      "org_reach": 0.0598,
      "request_share": 0.0073,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "exec"
    },
    {
      "tool": "apply_patch",
      "org_reach": 0.0584,
      "request_share": 0.0081,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "apply_patch"
    },
    {
      "tool": "search_web",
      "org_reach": 0.0557,
      "request_share": 0.0005,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "search_web"
    },
    {
      "tool": "ls",
      "org_reach": 0.0516,
      "request_share": 0.0027,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "ls"
    },
    {
      "tool": "agent",
      "org_reach": 0.0503,
      "request_share": 0.0008,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "agent"
    },
    {
      "tool": "list_files",
      "org_reach": 0.0503,
      "request_share": 0.0002,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "list_files"
    },
    {
      "tool": "fetch_url",
      "org_reach": 0.0503,
      "request_share": 0.0028,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "fetch_url"
    },
    {
      "tool": "vision_analyze",
      "org_reach": 0.0476,
      "request_share": 0.0008,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "vision_analyze"
    },
    {
      "tool": "clarify",
      "org_reach": 0.0476,
      "request_share": 0.0001,
      "sample_band": "25-99",
      "tool_label": "clarify"
    }
  ],
  "totals": {
    "tool_call_request_share": 0.0325,
    "tool_call_org_share": 0.0498
  },
  "floors": {
    "min_requests": 20,
    "min_orgs": 5,
    "max_top_org_share": 0.8
  },
  "methodology": [
    "Tool names come from the tool calls in model responses, lowercased. A tool counts once per request even if it is called several times.",
    "A tool name needs 10 or more organizations before it is listed, on top of the standard floors, so names specific to one company never appear.",
    "Tool-call data is recorded from July 2026, so this series starts then.",
    "A row is published only when it has at least 20 requests, at least 5 distinct organizations, and no single organization above 80% of its traffic. These are the same floors /rankings uses. Rows below the floors are withheld, not estimated.",
    "Only shares, rates, medians and organization bands are published. Absolute request, token and spend totals stay private."
  ],
  "definitions": [
    {
      "term": "Reach",
      "text": "Organizations whose requests called this tool, divided by organizations with any tool call in the month."
    },
    {
      "term": "Tool-call request",
      "text": "A chat request whose response contained at least one tool call."
    }
  ],
  "caveats": [
    "Different agents name the same tool differently (read vs read_file, bash vs shell vs terminal). Names are not merged.",
    "Only tool calls the model returned are counted, not tools that were offered but unused."
  ],
  "source": "Requesty production gateway",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "citation": {
    "apa": "Requesty (2026). Tools models call, October 2026. Requesty Data. https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10",
    "bibtex": "@misc{requesty_agent_tool_calls_2026_10,\n  author       = {{Requesty}},\n  title        = {Tools models call, October 2026},\n  year         = {2026},\n  howpublished = {\\url{https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10}},\n  note         = {Requesty Data}\n}"
  },
  "permalink": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10",
  "latest_url": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls",
  "previous": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-09",
  "next": null,
  "periods": [
    {
      "period": "2026-07",
      "url": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-07",
      "json": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-07/data.json"
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-08",
      "url": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-08",
      "json": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-08/data.json"
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-09",
      "url": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-09",
      "json": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-09/data.json"
    },
    {
      "period": "2026-10",
      "url": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10",
      "json": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10/data.json"
    }
  ],
  "downloads": {
    "json": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10/data.json",
    "csv": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10/data.csv",
    "markdown": "https://www.requesty.ai/data/agent-tool-calls/2026-10/data.md"
  },
  "related": [
    "https://www.requesty.ai/data/coding-agent-adoption",
    "https://www.requesty.ai/data/reasoning-effort-mix"
  ],
  "rankings": null
}