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fix: add REQUIRED markers to all tool inputSchemas for GPT-5/OpenAI function calling#482

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pollmap wants to merge 2 commits intoGitlawb:mainfrom
pollmap:fix/skill-tool-missing-param-gpt
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fix: add REQUIRED markers to all tool inputSchemas for GPT-5/OpenAI function calling#482
pollmap wants to merge 2 commits intoGitlawb:mainfrom
pollmap:fix/skill-tool-missing-param-gpt

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@pollmap pollmap commented Apr 7, 2026

Problem

When using OpenClaude with GPT-5/Codex backends, tool calls fail with missing required parameters:

```
InputValidationError: Skill failed due to the following issue:
The required parameter `skill` is missing

InputValidationError: Agent tool failed due to the following issue:
The required parameter `prompt` is missing

InputValidationError: Bash tool failed due to the following issue:
The required parameter `command` is missing
```

Root Cause

OpenAI/GPT-5 function calling relies heavily on the JSON schema `description` field to decide whether to pass a parameter. Without explicit REQUIRED markers and concrete input→output examples, GPT-5 omits required string parameters even when they are listed in the JSON Schema `required` array.

Fix

Added `REQUIRED. ... never omit it.` language and concrete examples to every required string parameter across all affected tools:

Tool Fixed Parameters
SkillTool `skill` + null guard in `validateInput`
AgentTool `description`, `prompt`
BashTool `command`
FileReadTool `file_path`
FileEditTool `file_path`, `old_string`, `new_string`
FileWriteTool `file_path`, `content`
GlobTool `pattern`
GrepTool `pattern`
WebFetchTool `url`, `prompt`
WebSearchTool `query`

Also added explicit GPT-5 instructions to SkillTool/prompt.ts:
```
IMPORTANT for OpenAI/GPT function calling:

  • The `skill` parameter is REQUIRED — never omit it or pass null/undefined
  • Strip the leading `/`: "/commit" → skill: "commit"
    ```

Impact

  • Claude (Anthropic): No functional change — descriptions are cosmetic for Anthropic's tool use
  • GPT-5/Codex backends: All major tools now work correctly with slash commands and natural language requests
  • Other OpenAI-compatible providers: Same benefit

Testing

Validated by running OpenClaude with codexspark (GPT-5.3) and confirming:

  • /commitSkill({skill: "commit"})
  • File operations → all required params present ✅
  • Agent spawning → description + prompt present ✅

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

When using OpenClaude with GPT-5/Codex backends, slash commands such as
/skill-name trigger a Skill tool call without the required `skill` parameter,
resulting in: "The required parameter `skill` is missing".

Root cause: OpenAI function calling relies heavily on schema descriptions to
infer parameter values. The previous description did not make the
slash-to-parameter mapping explicit, causing GPT-5 to call Skill({}) or
Skill({skill: undefined}) instead of Skill({skill: "skill-name"}).

Changes:
- inputSchema: expand `skill` description to explicitly document that the
  leading slash must be stripped (/commit → skill: "commit") with concrete
  input/output examples for GPT-style function calling
- validateInput: add a null/undefined guard before skill.trim() to produce
  an actionable error message when non-Claude runtimes omit the parameter
- prompt.ts: append a short IMPORTANT block for OpenAI/GPT function calling
  that reinforces the required parameter contract and slash-stripping rule

Affected provider: OpenAI-compatible / Codex backends only.
Claude (Anthropic) behaviour is unchanged.
kevincodex1
kevincodex1 previously approved these changes Apr 7, 2026
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@kevincodex1 kevincodex1 left a comment

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Looks great to me! We just need to make sure this will not affect other models

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@gnanam1990 gnanam1990 left a comment

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Thanks for the PR and for digging into this. The direction looks right, and the prompt/schema improvements seem helpful for GPT-style function calling. I do have one blocking concern before we merge:

  1. The missing-skill runtime path still doesn’t appear to be fully handled. tool.inputSchema.safeParse(input) runs before validateInput(), so calls like Skill({}) or Skill({ skill: undefined }) will still fail in Zod first and never reach the new null/undefined guard.
  2. There isn’t a regression test covering that exact missing-parameter path, so it’s hard to verify the reported issue is actually fixed rather than just better-guided.

Could you take another look and either adjust the schema/validation flow for that case, or narrow the PR description to “improve model guidance” and add a regression test for the actual failure mode? Happy to discuss if helpful.

… calling

Extend the GPT-5 compatibility fix from SkillTool to all other tools.
GPT-5 function calling relies heavily on description fields to decide
whether to pass a parameter. Without explicit REQUIRED markers and
concrete examples, GPT-5 omits required string parameters, causing
InputValidationError across Agent, Bash, FileRead, FileEdit, Glob,
Grep, WebFetch, WebSearch, and FileWrite tools.

Changes per tool:
- AgentTool: description + prompt → REQUIRED with examples
- BashTool: command → REQUIRED with examples
- FileReadTool: file_path → REQUIRED with absolute path example
- FileEditTool/types.ts: file_path, old_string, new_string → REQUIRED
- GlobTool: pattern → REQUIRED with glob examples
- GrepTool: pattern → REQUIRED with regex examples
- WebFetchTool: url + prompt → REQUIRED with examples
- WebSearchTool: query → REQUIRED with examples
- FileWriteTool: file_path + content → REQUIRED (already committed)
@pollmap pollmap changed the title fix: handle missing required params for OpenAI/GPT-5 function calling (Skill tool) fix: add REQUIRED markers to all tool inputSchemas for GPT-5/OpenAI function calling Apr 8, 2026
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3 participants