***

title: set_native_functions
slug: /reference/python/agents/agent-base/native-functions
description: Enable built-in native functions that execute directly on the SignalWire platform.
max-toc-depth: 3
---------------------

For a complete index of all SignalWire documentation pages, fetch https://signalwire.com/docs/llms.txt

[ref-agentbase]: /docs/server-sdks/reference/python/agents/agent-base

Set the list of native SWAIG functions to enable. Native functions are built into the
SignalWire platform and execute server-side without requiring a webhook. They
provide common utility operations that the AI can invoke during a conversation.

<Note>
  Native functions can also be passed at construction time via the `native_functions`
  constructor parameter.
</Note>

## **Parameters**

<ParamField path="function_names" type="list[str]" required={true} toc={true}>
  List of native function names to enable. Common native functions include:

  * `"check_time"` -- Get the current time in a given timezone
  * `"wait_for_user"` -- Pause the AI and wait for the caller to speak
  * `"next_step"` -- Advance to the next step in a context workflow
  * `"transfer"` -- Transfer the call to another number or agent
</ParamField>

## **Returns**

[`AgentBase`][ref-agentbase] -- Returns self for method chaining.

## **Example**

```python {5}
from signalwire import AgentBase

agent = AgentBase(name="assistant", route="/assistant")
agent.set_prompt_text("You are a helpful assistant.")
agent.set_native_functions(["check_time", "wait_for_user"])
agent.serve()
```

Or set at construction time:

```python {6}
from signalwire import AgentBase

agent = AgentBase(
    name="assistant",
    route="/assistant",
    native_functions=["check_time", "wait_for_user"]
)
agent.set_prompt_text("You are a helpful assistant.")
agent.serve()
```