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A PHP inventory agent should not receive direct database access. Instead, define a small set of operations—such as reading an item or adjusting its quantity—and let your application validate each request, enforce its own policies, and execute it through PDO. The model can request an operation; PHP decides whether and how it happens.
What “stateful” means for an inventory agent
Here, stateful means the application stores inventory in a database and can change that stored state. The model does not itself read or update the database: a function tool describes an operation, and your application implements it. OpenAI’s function-tool reference describes tools using a name, description, and parameter schema; the application handles requested calls and returns their output.
That distinction keeps the database and mutation rules inside your application boundary. A tool definition is not an authorization system, SQL executor, or guarantee that a requested change is valid.
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Prefer operations that each do one clear job over a general-purpose tool that accepts SQL, table names, or arbitrary actions. For example, define a read operation and a separate mutation operation:
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{
"get_inventory_item": {
"description": "Read the current quantity for one inventory item.",
"parameters": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"item_id": { "type": "integer" }
},
"required": ["item_id"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
},
"adjust_inventory": {
"description": "Apply an approved quantity adjustment to one inventory item.",
"parameters": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"item_id": { "type": "integer" },
"delta": { "type": "integer" },
"reason": { "type": "string" }
},
"required": ["item_id", "delta", "reason"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}
}These names and fields are illustrative application choices, not prescribed inventory tools. The schema narrows the expected input shape; PHP must still validate values and apply policy. Keep read-only tools separate from tools that can mutate state so their effects are explicit.
Dispatch requests and enforce application policy
When a tool call arrives, dispatch only names your application recognizes. Validate the arguments, identify the authenticated user or service on whose behalf the request runs, and apply your own authorization and business rules before accessing the database.
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- Match the operation name. Route only known tools such as
get_inventory_itemoradjust_inventory; reject unknown names. - Validate every argument. Check required fields, types, ranges, and business meaning. For example, decide whether a zero adjustment is allowed and whether stock may fall below zero.
- Check authorization. Decide which users or workflows may view inventory and which may change it. Do not infer permission from the model’s request.
- Apply confirmation or approval rules. Decide whether some changes require a human to confirm them, and what information that person must review.
- Call the application function. Only after the checks pass should the relevant PHP function perform its database operation.
The sources define how a function tool is described and how PDO accesses databases; they do not establish who may adjust stock, acceptable quantity bounds, approval requirements, or how concurrent requests should be resolved. Those are application policies to specify explicitly.
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Use PDO and prepared statements for database values
PDO is PHP’s consistent interface for data access, not a database server or a universal SQL abstraction. Your PHP installation needs the PDO driver for the database you use, and SQL behavior can still depend on that database.
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For SQL values supplied by a tool call, use prepared statements with named or positional parameters. For example, assuming an inventory table with an item_id key and a quantity column:
$stmt = $pdo->prepare(
'SELECT item_id, quantity FROM inventory WHERE item_id = :item_id'
);
$stmt->execute(['item_id' => $itemId]);
$item = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);PHP’s Documentation Group says in “Prepared statements and stored procedures”: “The parameters to prepared statements don’t need to be quoted; the driver automatically handles this.” This applies to bound values. A parameter marker can stand for a complete data literal, but not a table name, column name, or arbitrary SQL fragment. Keep identifiers fixed in your code or choose them from a strict allowlist; never treat model-provided text as a bindable identifier.
Make each inventory adjustment atomic
If an adjustment involves related steps—such as reading the current record, checking a rule, updating the quantity, and recording an audit entry—use a transaction when the selected database supports the behavior you need. The PDO transactions documentation describes beginning, committing, and rolling back transactions, while noting that support and behavior depend on the underlying database. Some systems may implicitly commit around DDL, so avoid assuming every statement participates as expected.
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try {
// Read and validate the item, update its quantity,
// and record the adjustment using prepared statements.
$pdo->commit();
} catch (Throwable $e) {
if ($pdo->inTransaction()) {
$pdo->rollBack();
}
throw $e;
}This is a transaction outline, not a complete inventory implementation. Confirm the chosen database and storage engine support the required transactional behavior, and design the read/update sequence for your concurrency rules. Report success to the model only after the commit succeeds.
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Return results that reflect committed state
Tool output should be concise and factual—for example, the item identifier, previous quantity, new quantity, and whether the operation succeeded. Distinguish a validation rejection, a missing item, and a database failure where useful. Do not tell the model that a change succeeded before the database transaction commits; if it fails, return an error result rather than a success-shaped response.
Production decisions to settle before deployment
- Inventory rules: allowed quantity bounds, treatment of negative stock, and which adjustment reasons are accepted.
- Identity and permissions: how callers are authenticated and which roles may read or mutate each category of stock.
- Approval: whether a user must confirm a proposed change, and which changes require additional review.
- Concurrency: how simultaneous adjustments are detected or reconciled so a stale read does not overwrite a newer change.
- Database behavior: the specific PDO driver, database, and storage engine, including transaction support and relevant SQL differences.
- Audit and recovery: what change history is retained and how failures or disputed adjustments are investigated.
These choices are not supplied by the tool schema or PDO. They belong in your application design and should be made before exposing mutation-capable tools.
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