SlotScout

Scan child care near a worksite

scan_childcare_slots

Read-onlyIdempotent

Free quick scan for an employer planning a child care benefit in Texas or New York. Pass the worksite address with its ZIP (or the ZIP alone) and headcount; add employeeZips (one home ZIP per employee, no names) for a closer staff estimate. Reads the live state and city licensing lists and Census counts. Returns a headline, licensed places for children under 5 within the commuting radius, children per place with a 0 to 100 slot shortage score, shift-friendly providers, how many staff children under 5 likely need care, and a provider shortlist with phone and licence page. Pass staff.likelyEnrolments.mid to compare_care_options next. Licensed capacity is not open places today.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Providers on the shortlist (default 10)
`worksite`	Yes	Worksite address with its ZIP, or the 5-digit ZIP alone, in Texas or New York, such as "6565 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030"
`headcount`	Yes	Number of employees at this worksite
`radiusMiles`	No	Commuting distance in straight-line miles (default 10)
`employeeZips`	No	Optional home ZIP of each employee, one entry per person, no names. Makes the staff estimate match where staff live.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`area`	No
`as_of`	Yes	ISO 8601 time the data was published by its source or fetched from it. A cached answer keeps the time of its fetch.
`staff`	Yes
`method`	No
`notice`	Yes
`source`	Yes	Who the data comes from, to cite and to check it against.
`status`	Yes
`supply`	Yes
`message`	No
`sources`	No
`verdict`	Yes
`headline`	Yes
`worksite`	Yes
`nextSteps`	No
`shortlist`	Yes
`shortlistOf`	No
`slotShortageScore`	Yes
`unavailableSources`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedOct 31, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "headcount": 600,
+    "radiusMiles": 2,
+    "worksite": "77030"
+  }
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / as_of

Added value: +{
+  "description": "ISO 8601 time the data was published by its source or fetched from it. A cached answer keeps the time of its fetch.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / source

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Who the data comes from, to cite and to check it against.",
+  "properties": {
+    "name": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "url": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "name",
+    "url"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "status",
-  "headline",
-  "worksite",
-  "slotShortageScore",
-  "verdict",
-  "supply",
-  "staff",
-  "shortlist",
-  "notice"
-]New value: +[
+  "status",
+  "headline",
+  "worksite",
+  "slotShortageScore",
+  "verdict",
+  "supply",
+  "staff",
+  "shortlist",
+  "notice",
+  "as_of",
+  "source"
+]

First observedOct 16, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover read-only, idempotent, open-world safety, but the description adds real substance: it discloses the data sources (live state and city licensing lists, Census counts) and a crucial semantic caveat that licensed capacity is not open places today. It stops short of stating rate limits or refresh cadence beyond 'live', so 4 rather than 5.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

The purpose and constraints are front-loaded in the first sentence, and every later clause carries information (inputs, sources, outputs, handoff, caveat). It is a long second sentence that packs several ideas together, which slightly hurts scanability.

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

Completeness5/5

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

An output schema exists, yet the description still summarises the headline numbers, shortage score, and shortlist shape, and it flags the key interpretive limit of licensed capacity. For a five-parameter analysis tool with annotations present, nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100% so the baseline is 3, but the description adds useful operational meaning: worksite accepts an address with ZIP or a bare ZIP, employeeZips is one entry per person with no names, and that field is framed as improving the staff estimate rather than being a required input.

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

Purpose5/5

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

Opens with a specific verb+resource+scope: a free quick scan of child care supply near a worksite, restricted to Texas and New York employers. It also names its downstream sibling (compare_care_options), so the agent can distinguish it from other tools without opening either schema.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

States the triggering situation (an employer planning a child care benefit), the minimum inputs (worksite+ZIP or ZIP alone, plus headcount), and the optional upgrade path (employeeZips for a closer staff estimate). It explicitly routes the follow-up step: 'Pass staff.likelyEnrolments.mid to compare_care_options next.'

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

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