Cars.com

Use this when the user wants to see full details about a specific vehicle listing from Cars.com. Returns comprehensive specs, all features, photos, vehicle history, pricing analysis, and dealer info for a single listing. Takes a listing_id from previous search results.

carscom_get_listing_detail

Use this when the user wants to compare 2-4 specific vehicle listings side by side. Accepts 2 to 4 listing IDs from previous search results and returns full details for each listing in a single structured response so the user can evaluate differences in price, mileage, features, deal rating, and other specs.

carscom_compare_listings

Use this when the user provides a specific VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) — a 17-character code — and wants the listing for that exact vehicle. It resolves the one vehicle the VIN identifies and returns its listing detail view: year, make, model, trim, price, mileage, photo, dealer, and core specs. Note: this is a lighter detail view than carscom_get_listing_detail — it does not include vehicle history, open-recall warnings, feature lists, or MSRP. Prefer this over the search tool whenever the user pastes or dictates a VIN: the search tool ranks many vehicles, whereas a VIN identifies exactly one. If the user is describing a vehicle (make, model, year, features) rather than giving a 17-character VIN, use the search tool instead.

carscom_lookup_listing_by_vin

Use this tool when the user is researching a vehicle, comparing models, or asks an explanatory question about cars (reliability, off-road capability, pros and cons, buying advice, model history) and would benefit from Cars.com editorial content (articles, news, reviews). Pair this with carscom_search_listings when the user is shopping but also wants context that builds purchase confidence. Pass the user's intent as free-form text in query_text — the search uses semantic vector similarity, so natural-language phrasing works better than keyword lists. Returns up to 10 ranked article chunks with source URLs and a relevance distance score (lower = more relevant).

carscom_editorial_search

Search Cars.com vehicle inventory. If the user mentions a place like 'Chicago, IL' or '90210', pass the corresponding 5-digit ZIP in zip_code on the first search. MULTI-TURN: When the user refines or paginates a previous search, you MUST pass the selected_search_filters array from the previous response. Without these filters the search loses all prior context (make, model, location, price range, etc.) and starts from scratch. Always include them on follow-up searches.

carscom_search_listings