# Tool calls

> Analyze tool usage, unsuccessful calls, latency, and execution details

A **tool call** is an event representing the execution of a tool. Voxmith keeps it
separate from the surrounding agent turn so you can compare tool reliability and
latency without losing conversation context.

## Open tool-call analytics

Open **Tool Calls** in the Voxmith sidebar. Use the filters to compare tools by
volume, success rate, error distribution, and latency over time.

## What good instrumentation includes

* A stable tool name.
* The parent conversation or agent-turn identifier.
* Success or failure state.
* End-to-end latency.
* Arguments and results when content capture is enabled.
* Checkpoints for meaningful internal phases when the SDK supports them.

## Client-side versus server-side visibility

Application OpenTelemetry records the calls made by that application. Voxmith MCP
server analytics instruments an MCP server itself and can observe calls from all
of its clients. Choose the boundary that matches the question you need to answer;
avoid recording the same call twice without a deliberate reason.

## Next steps

* [Events](/using-events): inspect the complete record behind a tool call.
* [Alerts](/using-alerts): monitor important tool conditions.
* [Improvements](/using-improvements): turn recurring tool issues into changes.