AI Agents · Lesson

Tool Versioning and Compatibility

Semantic versioning for tools, backwards compatibility, and deprecation patterns.

Why Tool Versioning Matters

When a tool's interface changes — a parameter is renamed, a required field is added, or a return value structure changes — agents that depend on the old interface break silently. Versioning with semantic rules and deprecation notices prevents this.

Semantic Versioning for Tools

Follow semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. MAJOR increments on breaking changes (removed params, changed param types, changed return structure). MINOR on backward-compatible additions. PATCH on bug fixes that do not affect the interface.

VERSIONING_RULES = {
    'major_bump': [
        'Removed a required or optional parameter',
        'Renamed an existing parameter',
        'Changed parameter type (e.g., string -> object)',
        'Changed response field names or types',
        'Removed a response field',
        'Changed error code values'
    ],
    'minor_bump': [
        'Added an optional parameter',
        'Added a new response field',
        'Added a new tool to the plugin'
    ],
    'patch_bump': [
        'Fixed a bug without interface change',
        'Improved error messages',
        'Performance improvement',
        'Updated documentation'
    ]
}

for bump_type, examples in VERSIONING_RULES.items():
    print(f'{bump_type}:')
    for ex in examples[:2]:
        print(f'  - {ex}')

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