eng-leadership-toolkit

Coaching cost estimator — what should a coach cost?

estimate_coaching_cost

Read-onlyIdempotent

Fair market rate for coaching or mentoring in 2026, by coaching type, client role, coach territory, coach seniority, and engagement length. Returns a per-session range, program total, and red flags (too cheap / brand margin). Anchored to ICF Global Coaching Study 2025, Tandem Coach 2026 credential bands, and CEE market survey data. Same logic as the live calculator at marian.coach.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`scope`	No	Engagement length (default single-session) — longer commitments carry a 5-20% per-session discount One of: single-session, monthly, quarter, half-year.
`context`	No	Optional. A short description of your goal and why you are calling this tool. Recorded as intent so the tools can be improved; it never changes the answer.
`territory`	No	Required. Where the coach operates — CEE runs at roughly half of US rates One of: us, uk, western-europe, cee, online.
`client_role`	No	Required. The client's role — the same coach charges a VP more than an EM One of: ic, em, director, vp, founder.
`coaching_type`	No	Required. What kind of coaching the client is buying One of: executive, leadership, engineering-leadership, career, life.
`coach_seniority`	No	Required. Coach seniority band: certified (ICF ACC level), experienced (PCC, 10+ yrs), top-tier (MCC / C-suite), practitioner-mentor (has held the client's role) One of: certified, experienced, top-tier, practitioner-mentor.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`math`	No	Napkin math behind the case.
`email`	No	Forwardable email to the manager.
`level`	No	Seniority level the score maps to, when the tool computes one.
`report`	Yes	The full human-readable report.
`source`	Yes	Canonical marian.coach page this answer is derived from.
`verdict`	No	Headline verdict, when the tool returns one.
`evidence`	No	Sources the case may cite.
`onePager`	No	Manager-facing one-pager, forwardable to finance.
`salaryEur`	No	Estimated 2026 Western-Europe gross annual salary in EUR.
`objections`	No	The usual objections, answered.
`slackShort`	No	Slack/Teams-length version of the ask.
`totalScore`	No	Weighted 0-10 score, when the tool computes one.
`valueFormula`	No	The four value lines to add up (money saved, cost of delay, missed opportunity, roadmap slippage) plus the count-then-halve CFO rule.
`talkingPoints`	No	Five talking points for the conversation.
`workedExamples`	No	Three published worked examples: EM, Director, Staff Engineer.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed12 schema fields changedSep 11, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / client_role / description

Previous value: -"The client's role — the same coach charges a VP more than an EM"New value: +"Required. The client's role — the same coach charges a VP more than an EM One of: ic, em, director, vp, founder."

removedInput schema / properties / client_role / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "ic",
-  "em",
-  "director",
-  "vp",
-  "founder"
-]

changedInput schema / properties / coach_seniority / description

Previous value: -"Coach seniority band: certified (ICF ACC level), experienced (PCC, 10+ yrs), top-tier (MCC / C-suite), practitioner-mentor (has held the client's role)"New value: +"Required. Coach seniority band: certified (ICF ACC level), experienced (PCC, 10+ yrs), top-tier (MCC / C-suite), practitioner-mentor (has held the client's role) One of: certified, experienced, top-tier, practitioner-mentor."

removedInput schema / properties / coach_seniority / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "certified",
-  "experienced",
-  "top-tier",
-  "practitioner-mentor"
-]

changedInput schema / properties / coaching_type / description

Previous value: -"What kind of coaching the client is buying"New value: +"Required. What kind of coaching the client is buying One of: executive, leadership, engineering-leadership, career, life."

removedInput schema / properties / coaching_type / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "executive",
-  "leadership",
-  "engineering-leadership",
-  "career",
-  "life"
-]

changedInput schema / properties / context / description

Previous value: -"Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): \"Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization.\""New value: +"Optional. A short description of your goal and why you are calling this tool. Recorded as intent so the tools can be improved; it never changes the answer."

changedInput schema / properties / scope / description

Previous value: -"Engagement length (default single-session) — longer commitments carry a 5-20% per-session discount"New value: +"Engagement length (default single-session) — longer commitments carry a 5-20% per-session discount One of: single-session, monthly, quarter, half-year."

removedInput schema / properties / scope / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "single-session",
-  "monthly",
-  "quarter",
-  "half-year"
-]

changedInput schema / properties / territory / description

Previous value: -"Where the coach operates — CEE runs at roughly half of US rates"New value: +"Required. Where the coach operates — CEE runs at roughly half of US rates One of: us, uk, western-europe, cee, online."

removedInput schema / properties / territory / enum

Removed value: -[
-  "us",
-  "uk",
-  "western-europe",
-  "cee",
-  "online"
-]

removedInput schema / required

Removed value: -[
-  "coaching_type",
-  "client_role",
-  "territory",
-  "coach_seniority",
-  "context"
-]

Changed2 schema fields changedAug 27, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / context

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Explain why you are calling this tool and how it fits into the user's overall goal. This parameter is used for analytics and user intent tracking. YOU MUST provide 15-25 words (count carefully). NEVER use first person ('I', 'we', 'you') - maintain third-person perspective. NEVER include sensitive information such as credentials, passwords, or personal data. Example (20 words): \"Searching across the organization's repositories to find all open issues related to performance complaints and latency issues for team prioritization.\"",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "coaching_type",
-  "client_role",
-  "territory",
-  "coach_seniority"
-]New value: +[
+  "coaching_type",
+  "client_role",
+  "territory",
+  "coach_seniority",
+  "context"
+]

Changed9 schema fields changedAug 17, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / email

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Forwardable email to the manager.",
+  "properties": {
+    "body": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "subject": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "subject",
+    "body"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / evidence

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Sources the case may cite.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "claim": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "source": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "url": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "claim",
+      "source",
+      "url"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / math

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Napkin math behind the case.",
+  "properties": {
+    "askEur": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "discountedEur": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "lines": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "note": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "packPriceEur": {
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "roiMultiple": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "totalEur": {
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "lines",
+    "totalEur",
+    "discountedEur",
+    "askEur",
+    "packPriceEur",
+    "roiMultiple",
+    "note"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / objections

Added value: +{
+  "description": "The usual objections, answered.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "answer": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "objection": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "objection",
+      "answer"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / onePager

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "Manager-facing one-pager, forwardable to finance.",
+  "properties": {
+    "sections": {
+      "items": {
+        "additionalProperties": false,
+        "properties": {
+          "body": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "bullets": {
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          },
+          "heading": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "table": {
+            "items": {
+              "items": [
+                {
+                  "type": "string"
+                },
+                {
+                  "type": "string"
+                }
+              ],
+              "type": "array"
+            },
+            "type": "array"
+          }
+        },
+        "required": [
+          "heading"
+        ],
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "title": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "title",
+    "sections"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / slackShort

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Slack/Teams-length version of the ask.",
+  "type": "string"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / talkingPoints

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Five talking points for the conversation.",
+  "items": {
+    "type": "string"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / valueFormula

Added value: +{
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "description": "The four value lines to add up (money saved, cost of delay, missed opportunity, roadmap slippage) plus the count-then-halve CFO rule.",
+  "properties": {
+    "heading": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "lines": {
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "rule": {
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "heading",
+    "lines",
+    "rule"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

addedOutput schema / properties / workedExamples

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Three published worked examples: EM, Director, Staff Engineer.",
+  "items": {
+    "additionalProperties": false,
+    "properties": {
+      "kpis": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "math": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "role": {
+        "type": "string"
+      },
+      "setup": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    },
+    "required": [
+      "role",
+      "setup",
+      "kpis",
+      "math"
+    ],
+    "type": "object"
+  },
+  "type": "array"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedJul 26, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "properties": {
+    "level": {
+      "description": "Seniority level the score maps to, when the tool computes one.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "report": {
+      "description": "The full human-readable report.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "salaryEur": {
+      "description": "Estimated 2026 Western-Europe gross annual salary in EUR.",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "description": "Canonical marian.coach page this answer is derived from.",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "totalScore": {
+      "description": "Weighted 0-10 score, when the tool computes one.",
+      "maximum": 10,
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "verdict": {
+      "description": "Headline verdict, when the tool returns one.",
+      "type": "string"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "report",
+    "source"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

AddedJul 22, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare read-only, idempotent, non-destructive behavior, so safety needs no restating. The description adds value beyond them by disclosing what is returned (per-session range, program total, red flags for too cheap / brand margin) and the data sources it is anchored to (ICF 2025, Tandem Coach 2026, CEE survey).

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

Conciseness5/5

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

Three dense sentences, front-loaded with the resource and inputs, followed by return shape and sourcing. Every clause carries information; nothing is padding.

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?

With an output schema present and full schema coverage plus read-only annotations, the description supplies the remaining context an agent needs: scope of the estimate, its authoritative anchors, and the nature of the returned figures.

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

Parameters3/5

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

Schema description coverage is 100%, so all six parameters and their enums are already documented with rationale (e.g., CEE half of US rates, seniority bands). The description only restates the same dimensions without adding syntax or format detail, so the baseline of 3 applies.

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?

The description states a specific verb (estimate a fair market rate) and resource (coaching/mentoring cost in 2026) and enumerates the exact pricing dimensions it factors in. An agent can immediately tell what output to expect (per-session range, program total, red flags) without opening the schema.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

The domain is clear enough that when-to-use is implied (a cost/rate question), but there is no explicit guidance on when to prefer this over siblings like build_mentoring_business_case or calculate_developer_value, and no exclusions are given.

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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