diff --git a/mellea/backends/huggingface.py b/mellea/backends/huggingface.py
index ae8bb249..5903b9c2 100644
--- a/mellea/backends/huggingface.py
+++ b/mellea/backends/huggingface.py
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ def _generate_from_context_standard(
             input_ids = self._tokenizer.apply_chat_template(  # type: ignore
                 ctx_as_conversation,
                 tools=convert_tools_to_json(tools),  # type: ignore
+                add_generation_prompt=True,
                 return_tensors="pt",
                 **self._make_backend_specific_and_remove(model_options),
             ).to(self._device)  # type: ignore
@@ -401,6 +402,7 @@ def _generate_from_context_standard(
                 self.post_processing,
                 conversation=ctx_as_conversation,
                 input_ids=input_ids,
+                format=format,
                 tool_calls=tool_calls,
                 tools=tools,
                 seed=seed,
@@ -457,6 +459,7 @@ async def post_processing(
         self,
         mot: ModelOutputThunk,
         conversation: list[dict],
+        format: type[BaseModelSubclass] | None,
         tool_calls: bool,
         tools: dict[str, Callable],
         seed,
diff --git a/mellea/backends/litellm.py b/mellea/backends/litellm.py
index 93a1ef5d..f665b985 100644
--- a/mellea/backends/litellm.py
+++ b/mellea/backends/litellm.py
@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ def _generate_from_chat_context_standard(
             conversation=conversation,
             tools=tools,
             thinking=thinking,
+            format=format,
         )
 
         try:
@@ -369,6 +370,7 @@ async def post_processing(
         conversation: list[dict],
         tools: dict[str, Callable],
         thinking,
+        format,
     ):
         """Called when generation is done."""
         # Reconstruct the chat_response from chunks if streamed.
diff --git a/mellea/backends/ollama.py b/mellea/backends/ollama.py
index 9c16d0d6..a9e779b5 100644
--- a/mellea/backends/ollama.py
+++ b/mellea/backends/ollama.py
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ def generate_from_chat_context(
         # each processing step.
         output._process = functools.partial(self.processing, tools=tools)
         output._post_process = functools.partial(
-            self.post_processing, conversation=conversation, tools=tools
+            self.post_processing, conversation=conversation, tools=tools, format=format
         )
 
         try:
@@ -506,6 +506,7 @@ async def post_processing(
         mot: ModelOutputThunk,
         conversation: list[dict],
         tools: dict[str, Callable],
+        format,
     ):
         """Called when generation is done."""
         assert mot._action is not None, (
diff --git a/mellea/backends/openai.py b/mellea/backends/openai.py
index 2164eafd..fe6b1505 100644
--- a/mellea/backends/openai.py
+++ b/mellea/backends/openai.py
@@ -502,6 +502,7 @@ def _generate_from_chat_context_standard(
             conversation=conversation,
             thinking=thinking,
             seed=model_opts.get(ModelOption.SEED, None),
+            format=format,
         )
 
         try:
@@ -569,6 +570,7 @@ async def post_processing(
         conversation: list[dict],
         thinking,
         seed,
+        format,
     ):
         """Called when generation is done."""
         # Reconstruct the chat_response from chunks if streamed.
diff --git a/mellea/backends/watsonx.py b/mellea/backends/watsonx.py
index 155773aa..15cbf1f6 100644
--- a/mellea/backends/watsonx.py
+++ b/mellea/backends/watsonx.py
@@ -340,6 +340,7 @@ def generate_from_chat_context(
             conversation=conversation,
             tools=tools,
             seed=model_opts.get(ModelOption.SEED, None),
+            format=format,
         )
 
         try:
@@ -406,6 +407,7 @@ async def post_processing(
         conversation: list[dict],
         tools: dict[str, Callable],
         seed,
+        format,
     ):
         """Called when generation is done."""
         # Reconstruct the chat_response from chunks if streamed.
diff --git a/test/backends/test_huggingface_tools.py b/test/backends/test_huggingface_tools.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cc88ec0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/backends/test_huggingface_tools.py
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+import pydantic
+import pytest
+from typing_extensions import Annotated
+
+from mellea import MelleaSession
+from mellea.backends.aloras.huggingface.granite_aloras import add_granite_aloras
+from mellea.backends.cache import SimpleLRUCache
+from mellea.backends.formatter import TemplateFormatter
+from mellea.backends.huggingface import LocalHFBackend
+from mellea.backends.types import ModelOption
+from mellea.stdlib.base import CBlock, ChatContext
+from mellea.stdlib.requirement import (
+    ALoraRequirement,
+    LLMaJRequirement,
+    Requirement,
+    ValidationResult,
+    default_output_to_bool,
+)
+import mellea.backends.model_ids as model_ids
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def backend():
+    """Shared HuggingFace backend for all tests in this module."""
+    backend = LocalHFBackend(
+        model_id=model_ids.MISTRALAI_MISTRAL_0_3_7B,
+        cache=SimpleLRUCache(5),
+    )
+    # add_granite_aloras(backend)
+    return backend
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
+def session(backend):
+    """Fresh HuggingFace session for each test."""
+    session = MelleaSession(backend, ctx=ChatContext())
+    yield session
+    session.reset()
+
+
+
+@pytest.mark.qualitative
+def test_tool(session):
+
+    tool_call_history = []
+    def get_temperature(location: str) -> int:
+        """Returns today's temperature of the given city in Celsius.
+
+        Args:
+            location: a city name.
+        """
+        tool_call_history.append(location)
+        return 21
+
+    output = session.instruct(
+        "What is today's temperature in Boston? Answer in Celsius. Reply the number only.",
+        model_options={
+            ModelOption.TOOLS: [get_temperature,],
+            ModelOption.MAX_NEW_TOKENS: 1000,
+        },
+        tool_calls = True,
+    )
+
+    assert output.tool_calls is not None
+
+    result = output.tool_calls["get_temperature"].call_func()
+    print(result)
+
+    assert len(tool_call_history) > 0
+    assert tool_call_history[0].lower() == "boston"
+    assert 21 == result
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import pytest
+
+    pytest.main([__file__])