The Register — Enterprise IT News & Sysadmin Headlines (registerwatch)

data_preview

Read-onlyIdempotent

✅ No API key needed. Listing: registerwatch: The Register — Enterprise IT & Sysadmin Headlines. Price 0.01 USDC/query (max 20 queries/session). Sample questions: What are the newest enterprise IT headlines?; Any new security or cyber-crime stories from The Register?. FREE preview — no key, no payment. Try one of the sample questions now.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "data_preview"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`slug`	No	Public listing slug. Defaults to the routed session's listing when connected via /mcp/data/{slug}/http.
`question`	No	Optional free-text question you'd ask this data (echoed back).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedSep 10, 2026

TDQS

C2.7/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, destructiveHint=false, openWorldHint=false), so the bar is lower. The description does add genuinely useful context — no API key or payment required and a session query cap — but says nothing about what is actually returned or whether the echoed question affects results.

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

Conciseness2/5

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

The opening is front-loaded but wastes space on marketing ("✅ No API key needed") and then repeats the same claim again later ("no key, no payment"). The pricing and query-quota sentence is irrelevant to a free preview and displaces information an agent would actually need.

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

Completeness3/5

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

With zero required parameters and annotations carrying the safety profile, this is a low-complexity tool, so the description is nearly sufficient. However, it omits what a preview returns (the schema only hints "public metadata only") and gives no output expectations, leaving an agent guessing about the response shape.

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 both slug and question are already documented with defaults and semantics. The description adds only the sample-question phrasing, which illustrates the question parameter's expected form but gives no extra detail on slug resolution.

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

Purpose3/5

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

The description names the listing (registerwatch / The Register) and calls itself a "FREE preview," but never states the action plainly — an agent has to infer that it returns a listing's public metadata sample rather than headlines. It also doesn't distinguish itself from siblings like data_session_query or data_session_open, and the pricing/query-limit copy competes with the actual purpose.

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

Usage Guidelines2/5

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

There is implied usage ("FREE preview — no key, no payment. Try one of the sample questions now"), which suggests a trial before paying, but no explicit condition for choosing this over data_session_query or data_session_open. The mention of "Price 0.01 USDC/query (max 20 queries/session)" actively muddies when this free tool should be used.

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

All The Register — Enterprise IT News & Sysadmin Headlines (registerwatch) tools Inspect

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