diff --git a/langchain/agents/tools.py b/langchain/agents/tools.py
index be1c83b05d163..7a6637c271d56 100644
--- a/langchain/agents/tools.py
+++ b/langchain/agents/tools.py
@@ -1,15 +1,10 @@
 """Interface for tools."""
 from functools import partial
-from inspect import signature
 from typing import Any, Awaitable, Callable, Dict, Optional, Tuple, Type, Union
 
-from pydantic import BaseModel, validate_arguments, validator
+from pydantic import BaseModel, validator
 
-from langchain.tools.base import (
-    BaseTool,
-    create_schema_from_function,
-    get_filtered_args,
-)
+from langchain.tools.base import BaseTool, StructuredTool
 
 
 class Tool(BaseTool):
@@ -33,30 +28,21 @@ def args(self) -> dict:
         """The tool's input arguments."""
         if self.args_schema is not None:
             return self.args_schema.schema()["properties"]
-        inferred_model = validate_arguments(self.func).model  # type: ignore
-        filtered_args = get_filtered_args(
-            inferred_model, self.func, invalid_args={"args", "kwargs"}
-        )
-        if filtered_args:
-            return filtered_args
-        # For backwards compatability, if the function signature is ambiguous,
+        # For backwards compatibility, if the function signature is ambiguous,
         # assume it takes a single string input.
         return {"tool_input": {"type": "string"}}
 
-    def _to_args_and_kwargs(self, tool_input: str | Dict) -> Tuple[Tuple, Dict]:
+    def _to_args_and_kwargs(self, tool_input: Union[str, Dict]) -> Tuple[Tuple, Dict]:
         """Convert tool input to pydantic model."""
         args, kwargs = super()._to_args_and_kwargs(tool_input)
-        if self.is_single_input:
-            # For backwards compatability. If no schema is inferred,
-            # the tool must assume it should be run with a single input
-            all_args = list(args) + list(kwargs.values())
-            if len(all_args) != 1:
-                raise ValueError(
-                    f"Too many arguments to single-input tool {self.name}."
-                    f" Args: {all_args}"
-                )
-            return tuple(all_args), {}
-        return args, kwargs
+        # For backwards compatibility. The tool must be run with a single input
+        all_args = list(args) + list(kwargs.values())
+        if len(all_args) != 1:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Too many arguments to single-input tool {self.name}."
+                f" Args: {all_args}"
+            )
+        return tuple(all_args), {}
 
     def _run(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
         """Use the tool."""
@@ -129,22 +115,24 @@ def search_api(query: str) -> str:
     """
 
     def _make_with_name(tool_name: str) -> Callable:
-        def _make_tool(func: Callable) -> Tool:
-            assert func.__doc__, "Function must have a docstring"
-            # Description example:
-            # search_api(query: str) - Searches the API for the query.
-            description = f"{tool_name}{signature(func)} - {func.__doc__.strip()}"
-            _args_schema = args_schema
-            if _args_schema is None and infer_schema:
-                _args_schema = create_schema_from_function(f"{tool_name}Schema", func)
-            tool_ = Tool(
+        def _make_tool(func: Callable) -> BaseTool:
+            if infer_schema or args_schema is not None:
+                return StructuredTool.from_function(
+                    func,
+                    name=tool_name,
+                    return_direct=return_direct,
+                    args_schema=args_schema,
+                    infer_schema=infer_schema,
+                )
+            # If someone doesn't want a schema applied, we must treat it as
+            # a simple string->string function
+            assert func.__doc__ is not None, "Function must have a docstring"
+            return Tool(
                 name=tool_name,
                 func=func,
-                args_schema=_args_schema,
-                description=description,
+                description=f"{tool_name} tool",
                 return_direct=return_direct,
             )
-            return tool_
 
         return _make_tool
 
diff --git a/langchain/tools/base.py b/langchain/tools/base.py
index c400af43fabf8..9090c6839c9bd 100644
--- a/langchain/tools/base.py
+++ b/langchain/tools/base.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from inspect import signature
-from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Optional, Set, Tuple, Type, Union
+from typing import Any, Awaitable, Callable, Dict, Optional, Tuple, Type, Union
 
 from pydantic import (
     BaseModel,
@@ -75,16 +75,17 @@ def _create_subset_model(
 def get_filtered_args(
     inferred_model: Type[BaseModel],
     func: Callable,
-    invalid_args: Optional[Set[str]] = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """Get the arguments from a function's signature."""
     schema = inferred_model.schema()["properties"]
     valid_keys = signature(func).parameters
-    invalid_args = invalid_args or set()
-    return {k: schema[k] for k in valid_keys if k not in invalid_args}
+    return {k: schema[k] for k in valid_keys}
 
 
-def create_schema_from_function(model_name: str, func: Callable) -> Type[BaseModel]:
+def create_schema_from_function(
+    model_name: str,
+    func: Callable,
+) -> Type[BaseModel]:
     """Create a pydantic schema from a function's signature."""
     inferred_model = validate_arguments(func).model  # type: ignore
     # Pydantic adds placeholder virtual fields we need to strip
@@ -98,12 +99,23 @@ class BaseTool(ABC, BaseModel, metaclass=ToolMetaclass):
     """Interface LangChain tools must implement."""
 
     name: str
+    """The unique name of the tool that clearly communicates its purpose."""
     description: str
+    """Used to tell the model how/when/why to use the tool.
+    
+    You can provide few-shot examples as a part of the description.
+    """
     args_schema: Optional[Type[BaseModel]] = None
     """Pydantic model class to validate and parse the tool's input arguments."""
     return_direct: bool = False
+    """Whether to return the tool's output directly. Setting this to True means
+    
+    that after the tool is called, the AgentExecutor will stop looping.
+    """
     verbose: bool = False
+    """Whether to log the tool's progress."""
     callback_manager: BaseCallbackManager = Field(default_factory=get_callback_manager)
+    """Callback manager for this tool."""
 
     class Config:
         """Configuration for this pydantic object."""
@@ -157,7 +169,7 @@ async def _arun(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
         """Use the tool asynchronously."""
 
     def _to_args_and_kwargs(self, tool_input: Union[str, Dict]) -> Tuple[Tuple, Dict]:
-        # For backwards compatability, if run_input is a string,
+        # For backwards compatibility, if run_input is a string,
         # pass as a positional argument.
         if isinstance(tool_input, str):
             return (tool_input,), {}
@@ -253,3 +265,62 @@ async def arun(
     def __call__(self, tool_input: Union[str, dict]) -> Any:
         """Make tool callable."""
         return self.run(tool_input)
+
+
+class StructuredTool(BaseTool):
+    """Tool that can operate on any number of inputs."""
+
+    description: str = ""
+    args_schema: Type[BaseModel] = Field(..., description="The tool schema.")
+    """The input arguments' schema."""
+    func: Callable[..., str]
+    """The function to run when the tool is called."""
+    coroutine: Optional[Callable[..., Awaitable[str]]] = None
+    """The asynchronous version of the function."""
+
+    @property
+    def args(self) -> dict:
+        """The tool's input arguments."""
+        return self.args_schema.schema()["properties"]
+
+    def _run(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
+        """Use the tool."""
+        return self.func(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    async def _arun(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
+        """Use the tool asynchronously."""
+        if self.coroutine:
+            return await self.coroutine(*args, **kwargs)
+        raise NotImplementedError("Tool does not support async")
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_function(
+        cls,
+        func: Callable,
+        name: Optional[str] = None,
+        description: Optional[str] = None,
+        return_direct: bool = False,
+        args_schema: Optional[Type[BaseModel]] = None,
+        infer_schema: bool = True,
+        **kwargs: Any,
+    ) -> StructuredTool:
+        name = name or func.__name__
+        description = description or func.__doc__
+        assert (
+            description is not None
+        ), "Function must have a docstring if description not provided."
+
+        # Description example:
+        # search_api(query: str) - Searches the API for the query.
+        description = f"{name}{signature(func)} - {description.strip()}"
+        _args_schema = args_schema
+        if _args_schema is None and infer_schema:
+            _args_schema = create_schema_from_function(f"{name}Schema", func)
+        return cls(
+            name=name,
+            func=func,
+            args_schema=_args_schema,
+            description=description,
+            return_direct=return_direct,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/agents/test_tools.py b/tests/unit_tests/agents/test_tools.py
index 21fc9c388c15c..965d44db110e9 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/agents/test_tools.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/agents/test_tools.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 from langchain.agents.react.base import ReActDocstoreAgent, ReActTextWorldAgent
 from langchain.agents.self_ask_with_search.base import SelfAskWithSearchAgent
 from langchain.agents.tools import Tool, tool
-from langchain.tools.base import BaseTool, SchemaAnnotationError
+from langchain.tools.base import BaseTool, SchemaAnnotationError, StructuredTool
 
 
 def test_unnamed_decorator() -> None:
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ def search_api(query: str) -> str:
         """Search the API for the query."""
         return "API result"
 
-    assert isinstance(search_api, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(search_api, BaseTool)
     assert search_api.name == "search_api"
     assert not search_api.return_direct
     assert search_api("test") == "API result"
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def tool_func(arg1: int, arg2: bool, arg3: Optional[dict] = None) -> str:
         """Return the arguments directly."""
         return f"{arg1} {arg2} {arg3}"
 
-    assert isinstance(tool_func, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(tool_func, BaseTool)
     assert tool_func.args_schema == _MockSchema
 
 
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def structured_tool_input(
         """Return the arguments directly."""
         return f"{arg1} {arg2} {arg3}"
 
-    assert isinstance(structured_tool_input, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(structured_tool_input, BaseTool)
     assert structured_tool_input.args_schema is not None
     assert (
         structured_tool_input.args_schema.schema()["properties"]
@@ -171,14 +171,14 @@ def structured_tool_input(
 def test_structured_args_decorator_no_infer_schema() -> None:
     """Test functionality with structured arguments parsed as a decorator."""
 
-    @tool(infer_schema=False)
+    @tool
     def structured_tool_input(
         arg1: int, arg2: Union[float, datetime], opt_arg: Optional[dict] = None
     ) -> str:
         """Return the arguments directly."""
         return f"{arg1}, {arg2}, {opt_arg}"
 
-    assert isinstance(structured_tool_input, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(structured_tool_input, BaseTool)
     assert structured_tool_input.name == "structured_tool_input"
     args = {"arg1": 1, "arg2": 0.001, "opt_arg": {"foo": "bar"}}
     expected_result = "1, 0.001, {'foo': 'bar'}"
@@ -193,8 +193,9 @@ def unstructured_tool_input(tool_input: str) -> str:
         """Return the arguments directly."""
         return f"{tool_input}"
 
-    assert isinstance(unstructured_tool_input, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(unstructured_tool_input, BaseTool)
     assert unstructured_tool_input.args_schema is None
+    assert unstructured_tool_input.run("foo") == "foo"
 
 
 def test_base_tool_inheritance_base_schema() -> None:
@@ -225,18 +226,18 @@ def test_tool_lambda_args_schema() -> None:
         func=lambda tool_input: tool_input,
     )
     assert tool.args_schema is None
-    expected_args = {"tool_input": {"title": "Tool Input"}}
+    expected_args = {"tool_input": {"type": "string"}}
     assert tool.args == expected_args
 
 
-def test_tool_lambda_multi_args_schema() -> None:
+def test_structured_tool_lambda_multi_args_schema() -> None:
     """Test args schema inference when the tool argument is a lambda function."""
-    tool = Tool(
+    tool = StructuredTool.from_function(
         name="tool",
         description="A tool",
         func=lambda tool_input, other_arg: f"{tool_input}{other_arg}",  # type: ignore
     )
-    assert tool.args_schema is None
+    assert tool.args_schema is not None
     expected_args = {
         "tool_input": {"title": "Tool Input"},
         "other_arg": {"title": "Other Arg"},
@@ -268,7 +269,7 @@ def empty_tool_input() -> str:
         """Return a constant."""
         return "the empty result"
 
-    assert isinstance(empty_tool_input, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(empty_tool_input, BaseTool)
     assert empty_tool_input.name == "empty_tool_input"
     assert empty_tool_input.args == {}
     assert empty_tool_input.run({}) == "the empty result"
@@ -282,7 +283,7 @@ def search_api(query: str) -> str:
         """Search the API for the query."""
         return "API result"
 
-    assert isinstance(search_api, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(search_api, BaseTool)
     assert search_api.name == "search"
     assert not search_api.return_direct
 
@@ -295,7 +296,7 @@ def search_api(query: str) -> str:
         """Search the API for the query."""
         return "API result"
 
-    assert isinstance(search_api, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(search_api, BaseTool)
     assert search_api.name == "search"
     assert search_api.return_direct
 
@@ -308,7 +309,7 @@ def search_api(query: str) -> str:
         """Search the API for the query."""
         return "API result"
 
-    assert isinstance(search_api, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(search_api, BaseTool)
     assert search_api.name == "search_api"
     assert search_api.return_direct
 
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ def search_api(
         """Search the API for the query."""
         return f"arg_0={arg_0}, arg_1={arg_1}, ping={ping}"
 
-    assert isinstance(search_api, Tool)
+    assert isinstance(search_api, BaseTool)
     result = search_api.run(
         tool_input={
             "arg_0": "foo",