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

Annotations already establish the safety profile (readOnlyHint=true, destructiveHint=false), so the bar is lower, and the description still adds real behavioral content: result ordering (open first, then resolved) and the fact that authors and timestamps are included. It stops short of stating pagination, volume limits, or behavior for entities with no threads.

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 sentences, front-loaded with the operative fact (what is listed, in what order) before the advisory second sentence. The second sentence is slightly rhetorical ("where disagreement lives before it becomes a decision") but it does convey routing intent, so little is wasted.

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?

With no output schema, the description compensates by naming the returned content (threads, authors, timestamps, ordering), which is the key information an agent needs. It remains silent on result size/pagination and on empty-result behavior, so it is strong but not fully 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 67%: workspace is well documented in the schema, entityKind has only a terse "What the thread hangs on" description, and entityId has none. The description says only "one workspace entity," adding no format, valid-value, or relationship detail beyond the schema enum, so a baseline 3 is appropriate.

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?

States a concrete verb and resource ("Lists the comment threads on one workspace entity") and adds ordering detail (open first, then resolved). It implicitly separates itself from the write-side siblings comments_create and comments_resolve through the read verb, but never names or contrasts with them outright, so sibling differentiation is inferred rather than stated.

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?

"Read this before weighing in on contested work" gives a thematic when-to-use cue, which is more than nothing. However, no alternatives are named (notably comments_resolve or comments_create, the natural next/previous steps) and there is no when-not-to-use guidance or note on whether resolved threads can be filtered out.

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