Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations, the description carries the full behavioral burden. It usefully discloses that results are newest-first and that event data excludes secrets, but it does not explicitly confirm read-only behavior, pagination, event retention, or permission requirements.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two short sentences with no wasted words, and the core purpose is front-loaded before the security note.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a simple listing tool this is minimally adequate, but with no annotations and no output schema it leaves out important call behavior such as how limit affects results and what the returned event objects contain. It covers the basic action and one safety property but not enough to be complete.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 50%: identity_id is well documented in the schema, but limit has no schema description and the tool description does not explain its default, maximum, or pagination implications. The description does not compensate for the undocumented limit parameter.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description gives a specific verb and resource ("List recent events"), scopes it to an identity, and specifies ordering ("newest first"). No sibling tool appears to list events, so the agent can distinguish this from the authentication-action siblings.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It implies the context of retrieving events for an identity but gives no explicit when-to-use guidance, exclusions, or alternatives. The agent must infer why it would choose list_events over get_identity or other identity-related siblings.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.