---
title: "Retry Tools with Improved Prompt"
description: "Documentation for retrying tools with improved prompts in the Arcade Tool SDK"
---

# RetryableToolError in Arcade

Sometimes you may want to retry a tool call with additional context to improve the tool call's input parameters predicted by the model and try again. You can do this by raising a `RetryableToolError` within the tool.

### Understanding RetryableToolError

Raising the `RetryableToolError` is useful when you want to retry the tool call and give the model that is generating the tool call's input parameters additional context to improve the parameters for the next tool call.

### When to Use RetryableToolError

A RetryableToolError should be raised from within a tool if additional prompt content would likely improve the tool call outcome.

### Example: Sending a Direct Message in Slack

Below is an example of a tool that sends a direct message to a user in Slack:

1. If the specified user is not found, the tool retrieves a list of all valid inputs for the `user_name` parameter.
2. The tool then raises a `RetryableToolError` with the list of valid inputs.
3. This allows the model to generate a valid input for the `user_name` parameter in the next tool call iteration.

```python {44-49}
from typing import Annotated

from slack_sdk import WebClient

from arcade_core.errors import RetryableToolError
from arcade_mcp_server import Context, tool
from arcade_mcp_server.auth import Slack


@tool(
    requires_auth=Slack(
        scopes=[
            "chat:write",
            "im:write",
            "users.profile:read",
            "users:read",
        ],
    )
)
def send_dm_to_user(
    context: Context,
    user_name: Annotated[
        str,
        "The Slack username of the person you want to message. Slack usernames are ALWAYS lowercase.",
    ],
    message: Annotated[str, "The message you want to send"],
) -> Annotated[str, "A confirmation message that the DM was sent"]:
    """Send a direct message to a user in Slack."""

    slackClient = WebClient(token=context.authorization.token)

    # Step 1: Retrieve the user's Slack ID based on their username
    userListResponse = slackClient.users_list()
    user_id = None
    for user in userListResponse["members"]:
        if user["name"].lower() == user_name.lower():
            user_id = user["id"]
            break

    # If the user is not found, raise a RetryableToolError with a
    # list of all valid inputs for the user_name parameter
    if not user_id:
        raise RetryableToolError(
            "User not found",
            developer_message=f"User with username '{user_name}' not found.",
            additional_prompt_content=f"Valid values for user_name input param: {userListResponse}",
            retry_after_ms=500,
        )

    # Step 2: Retrieve the DM channel ID with the user
    im_response = slackClient.conversations_open(users=[user_id])
    dm_channel_id = im_response["channel"]["id"]

    # Step 3: Send the DM
    slackClient.chat_postMessage(channel=dm_channel_id, text=message)

    return "DM sent successfully"
```