A tool or service is a hosted computational method with an input form, execution settings, and defined outputs. A job is a particular submission to that service. Tool discovery should start with the research decision and the inputs you actually have.
Find a relevant method
Use the catalog to search names and scientific terms. Categories describe methods, applications describe research uses, and tags capture more specific properties or molecular types. These overlap: a folding service can support both structural biology and drug discovery.
For a task-oriented starting point, explore research solutions or the scientific task guides in this documentation. In Workspace, Explore tools opens guided discovery by research area and task. Recently used tools provide shortcuts; suggested tools explain a possible next step based on recent jobs.
Suggestions are not an assertion that one job’s files can be submitted unchanged to another tool. Check that the next method accepts the molecular type, representation, and output you intend to use.
Read the service contract
Before submitting, inspect:
- Required entities and their allowed formats, copy counts, and size limits.
- Conditions, restraints, seeds, sampling, and model choices that affect interpretation.
- The output files and native score definitions.
- Runtime statistics, estimated credits, and access requirements.
- The tool’s How to use guide and scientific citations.
The current form is the source for field names and requirements. A similarly named field on another tool may accept a different representation. New versions can change accepted inputs and outputs.
Compare methods responsibly
Choose complementary evidence rather than equating scores across engines. Two folding confidence scores, docking energies, or property predictions may have different calibration and validation sets. Pilot a small representative system, inspect outputs, and record why a tool was selected.
For programmatic discovery, use the API or MCP’s get_service_spec. Neither a catalog position nor a recent-use shortcut is an accuracy ranking.