Automatically invoke functions

10 minutes

The Semantic Kernel SDK supports a powerful automatic function calling feature. Enabling automatic function calling allows the kernel to automatically select which functions and prompts to use on some provided input. This feature can help you save time manually invoke functions and prompts and make your applications smarter.

To use automatic function calling, you must use an OpenAI model that supports it. Currently, these models include GPT-3.5-turbo and GPT-4 models that are version 0613 or newer.

To enable auto function calling, you must set the ToolCallBehavior property of the OpenAIPromptExecutionSettings object to AutoInvokeKernelFunctions.

For example, suppose you have some ingredient plugins that support the following functions:

- `GetIngredients`: Gets a list of the user's available ingredients
- `GetRecipe`: Gets a list of ingredients for a given recipe
- `GetMissingIngredients`: Gets a list of ingredients that are missing from the user's kitchen for a given recipe

You can use the AutoInvokeKernelFunctions behavior to automatically run a function based on a prompt. For example:

using Microsoft.SemanticKernel;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.OpenAI;

var builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder();
builder.AddAzureOpenAIChatCompletion(
    "your-deployment-name",
    "your-endpoint",
    "your-api-key",
    "deployment-model");

kernel.ImportPluginFromType<IngredientsPlugin>();
kernel.ImportPluginFromPromptDirectory("Prompts/IngredientPrompts");

// Set the ToolCallBehavior property
OpenAIPromptExecutionSettings settings = new()
{
    ToolCallBehavior = ToolCallBehavior.AutoInvokeKernelFunctions
};

string prompt = @"What ingredients am I missing from my current list of ingredients 
    to make a recipe for aloo jeera?";

// Use the settings to automatically invoke plugins based on the prompt
var result = await kernel.InvokePromptAsync(prompt, new(settings));

Console.WriteLine(result);

Depending on your ingredients and function details, the output of this code might be similar to the following response:

Based on the list of ingredients for aloo jeera, you are missing the following items:

- Cumin seeds
- Green chilies
- Ginger
- Turmeric powder
- Red chili powder
- Coriander powder
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Salt
- Oil

Function calling allows the AI to invoke functions with the appropriate parameters in the correct order. The LLM can iteratively call functions to address the user's needs. This is done through a feedback loop where the AI can call a function, check the result, and then decide what to do next.

The AutoInvokeKernelFunctions setting automatically calls the necessary plugins to run the prompt, making your application dynamic and robust with less code. This feature can help you create more complex applications that can handle a variety of scenarios.

Automatically invoke functions

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