Tools as Graph Nodes

In older frameworks, "Tools" were just functions passed to the LLM. In LangGraph, specific tools can be their own nodes with dedicated edges.

Explicit Tool Nodes

Instead of giving the LLM the option to call send_email, you can force the graph to go to SendEmailNode after the DraftEmailNode.

• Benefit: You don't rely on the LLM to "remember" to call the tool. The graph forces it.
• Drawback: Less flexibility. The agent must send the email.

This is useful for rigid business processes (e.g., "Always log the ticket to Jira after classification").