diff --git a/src/llmling/llm/providers/litellm.py b/src/llmling/llm/providers/litellm.py
index ece2477..be89f52 100644
--- a/src/llmling/llm/providers/litellm.py
+++ b/src/llmling/llm/providers/litellm.py
@@ -136,7 +136,13 @@ def _prepare_request_kwargs(self, **additional_kwargs: Any) -> dict[str, Any]:
             if k not in exclude_fields and v is not None
         })
         # Add additional kwargs (highest priority)
-        kwargs.update({k: v for k, v in additional_kwargs.items() if v is not None})
+        # Filter out empty tools array
+        filtered_kwargs = {
+            k: v
+            for k, v in additional_kwargs.items()
+            if v is not None and not (k == "tools" and not v)
+        }
+        kwargs.update(filtered_kwargs)
         return kwargs
 
     async def complete(
@@ -156,6 +162,12 @@ async def complete(
                 for msg in messages
             ]
 
+            # Clean up kwargs
+            # Remove empty tools array and related settings
+            if "tools" in kwargs and not kwargs["tools"]:
+                kwargs.pop("tools")
+                kwargs.pop("tool_choice", None)
+
             # Prepare request kwargs
             request_kwargs = self._prepare_request_kwargs(**kwargs)
 
@@ -180,19 +192,17 @@ async def complete_stream(
         """Implement streaming completion using LiteLLM."""
         try:
             # Convert messages to dict format
-            messages_dict: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
-            for msg in messages:
-                msg_dict: dict[str, Any] = {
+            messages_dict = [
+                {
                     "role": msg.role,
                     "content": msg.content,
+                    **({"name": msg.name} if msg.name else {}),
                 }
-                if msg.name:
-                    msg_dict["name"] = msg.name
-                if msg.tool_calls:
-                    msg_dict["tool_calls"] = [tc.model_dump() for tc in msg.tool_calls]
-                messages_dict.append(msg_dict)
+                for msg in messages
+            ]
 
-            # Remove empty tools array if present
+            # Clean up kwargs
+            # Remove empty tools array and related settings
             if "tools" in kwargs and not kwargs["tools"]:
                 kwargs.pop("tools")
                 kwargs.pop("tool_choice", None)
diff --git a/src/llmling/resources/test.yml b/src/llmling/resources/test.yml
index c0891d7..3e69f12 100644
--- a/src/llmling/resources/test.yml
+++ b/src/llmling/resources/test.yml
@@ -159,13 +159,9 @@ task_templates:
   quick_review:
     provider: local-llama
     context: system_prompt
-    inherit_tools: false # Explicitly set
-    tools: [] # Empty list for testing
     settings:
       temperature: 0.7
       max_tokens: 2048
-      tools: [] # Empty list for testing
-      tool_choice: "auto"
 
   detailed_review:
     provider: code_review
diff --git a/src/llmling/task/executor.py b/src/llmling/task/executor.py
index 1f5c71a..aafa607 100644
--- a/src/llmling/task/executor.py
+++ b/src/llmling/task/executor.py
@@ -92,10 +92,10 @@ def _prepare_tool_config(
 
         if not available_tools:
             logger.debug("No tools available")
-            return None  # Return None instead of empty tools config
+            return None
 
         # Get schemas for all available tools
-        tool_schemas: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
+        tool_schemas = []
         for tool_name in available_tools:
             # Verify tool exists before getting schema
             if not self.tool_registry.has_tool(tool_name):
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ def _prepare_tool_config(
                 continue
 
             schema = self.tool_registry.get_schema(tool_name)
-            logger.debug("Tool schema for %s: %s", tool_name, schema)
             tool_schemas.append(schema.function)
 
         # Only return tools config if we have actual tool schemas
@@ -133,10 +132,11 @@ async def execute(
     ) -> TaskResult:
         """Execute a task."""
         try:
-            # Add tool configuration if available
-            if tool_config := self._prepare_tool_config(task_context, task_provider):
-                logger.debug("Tool configuration prepared: %s", tool_config)
+            # Add tool configuration if available and non-empty
+            tool_config = self._prepare_tool_config(task_context, task_provider)
+            if tool_config and tool_config.get("tools"):  # Only add if we have tools
                 kwargs.update(tool_config)
+
             # Load and process context
             context_result = await self._load_context(task_context)
 
@@ -149,10 +149,6 @@ async def execute(
                 task_provider.name,
                 llm_config,
             )
-            logger.debug(
-                "Sending request to LLM with tools config: %s", kwargs.get("tools")
-            )
-
             # Get completion with potential tool calls
             while True:
                 completion = await provider.complete(messages, **kwargs)