Piloxa – Certified Mail

Price a certified letter

quote_certified_letter

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when the person asks what it costs to send a letter by certified mail, or is weighing sending it themselves against having it sent. Says what a USPS Certified Mail letter costs, before anything is prepared. Give the number of printed pages and the service, and it returns the exact all-in total the person would pay: printing, the envelope and the postage are included, and nothing is added at checkout. A one-page letter is $12.97 with USPS tracking, $15.97 with the Electronic Return Receipt, which is the default, $24.21 with the Evidence Pack, or $50.10 as a Deadline Notice. A person's first letter is $9.95 all in: one or two pages by Certified Mail with tracking, without the return receipt, one per account. There is no account to create, no subscription and no minimum. This tool is READ ONLY: it prepares nothing, stores nothing, mails nothing and charges nothing, so it is safe to call just to answer "what would that cost". Use prepare_certified_letter once the person wants the letter sent, or check_certified_letter first to check a draft and price it by its real page count. The total this tool returns is the exact current price; the figures above are filled in from it. U.S. destinations.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`service`	No	CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE is CERTIFIED_ERR plus the Evidence Pack: a Certificate of Mailing and 7 years of retention. CERTIFIED_DEADLINE is CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE plus a same-day First-Class copy and an unclaimed-letter warning. Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses.
`page_count`	No	Number of printed pages in the letter, 1 to 10, the most the printer accepts in one letter. Defaults to 1.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`total`	Yes	The same total, formatted for a person, with a dollar sign and cents.
`mailed`	Yes	Always false: this tool never mails.
`charged`	Yes	Always false: this tool never charges.
`service`	Yes
`currency`	Yes
`promotion`	No	Present when the first-letter promotion could lower this total for a person’s first letter. The review page applies it once the account is known; total_cents is the standard price.
`page_count`	Yes
`total_cents`	Yes	The whole price in cents. Nothing else is added at checkout.
`price_source`	No
`evidence_pack`	No
`minimum_order`	No
`account_required`	No
`service_fee_cents`	No	The rest of the total: the Piloxa service fee, including the card cost.
`transaction_state`	No	Always QUOTED: a price only, nothing exists yet.
`subscription_required`	No
`postage_and_print_cents`	No	The part that goes to printing and USPS.
`includes_printing_envelope_and_postage`	No

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed3 schema fields changedOct 7, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / price_source
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "string"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / promotion

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Present when the first-letter promotion could lower this total for a person’s first letter. The review page applies it once the account is known; total_cents is the standard price.",
+  "type": [
+    "object",
+    "null"
+  ]
+}

changedOutput schema / properties / total / description

Previous value: -"The same total, formatted for a person, e.g. \"$16.17\"."New value: +"The same total, formatted for a person, with a dollar sign and cents."

Changed1 schema field changedOct 5, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / transaction_state

Added value: +{
+  "description": "Always QUOTED: a price only, nothing exists yet.",
+  "enum": [
+    "QUOTED"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedSep 25, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / page_count / description

Previous value: -"Number of printed pages in the letter, 1 to 5, the most the printer accepts in one letter. Defaults to 1."New value: +"Number of printed pages in the letter, 1 to 10, the most the printer accepts in one letter. Defaults to 1."

Changed1 schema field changedSep 25, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / page_count / description

Previous value: -"Number of printed pages in the letter, 1 to 60. Defaults to 1."New value: +"Number of printed pages in the letter, 1 to 5, the most the printer accepts in one letter. Defaults to 1."

Changed3 schema fields changedSep 24, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / service / description

Previous value: -"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE is CERTIFIED_ERR plus the Evidence Pack: a Certificate of Mailing and 7 years of retention. Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."New value: +"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE is CERTIFIED_ERR plus the Evidence Pack: a Certificate of Mailing and 7 years of retention. CERTIFIED_DEADLINE is CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE plus a same-day First-Class copy and an unclaimed-letter warning. Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."

changedInput schema / properties / service / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "CERTIFIED",
-  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
-  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE"
-]New value: +[
+  "CERTIFIED",
+  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
+  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE",
+  "CERTIFIED_DEADLINE"
+]

changedOutput schema / properties / service / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "CERTIFIED",
-  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
-  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE"
-]New value: +[
+  "CERTIFIED",
+  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
+  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE",
+  "CERTIFIED_DEADLINE"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedSep 23, 2026

addedOutput schema / properties / evidence_pack
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
```

changedOutput schema / properties / service / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "CERTIFIED",
-  "CERTIFIED_ERR"
-]New value: +[
+  "CERTIFIED",
+  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
+  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE"
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedSep 22, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / service / description

Previous value: -"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."New value: +"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE is CERTIFIED_ERR plus the Evidence Pack: a Certificate of Mailing and 7 years of retention. Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."

changedInput schema / properties / service / enum

Previous value: -[
-  "CERTIFIED",
-  "CERTIFIED_ERR"
-]New value: +[
+  "CERTIFIED",
+  "CERTIFIED_ERR",
+  "CERTIFIED_EVIDENCE"
+]

Changed1 schema field changedSep 19, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / service / description

Previous value: -"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (proof of who signed). Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."New value: +"CERTIFIED is Certified Mail with USPS tracking. CERTIFIED_ERR adds the Electronic Return Receipt (the record of who signed, kept when USPS reports it back). Defaults to CERTIFIED_ERR, the same default prepare_certified_letter uses."

AddedSep 13, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint/idempotentHint/destructiveHint=false, but the description reinforces this with 'prepares nothing, stores nothing, mails nothing and charges nothing' and adds useful non-schema context: no account, no subscription, no minimum, and that figures are current pricing.

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?

Pricing and the when-to-use routing are front-loaded, and every sentence carries information. Slightly verbose in restating that the returned total is the current price and that the listed figures come from it.

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 so return values need not be explained, annotations cover the safety profile, and the description supplies the pricing context, defaults, and sibling routing an agent needs to answer a cost question correctly.

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% and the enum descriptions are already rich, so the baseline is 3. The description goes further by mapping each service tier to an exact dollar amount and confirming that CERTIFIED_ERR is the shared default with prepare_certified_letter.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Price a certified letter') and immediately scopes it as a pre-preparation cost estimate. An agent can distinguish it from prepare_certified_letter and check_certified_letter without opening a 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?

Explicitly names the triggering user intent ('what it costs to send a letter by certified mail') and routes to the alternatives: prepare_certified_letter once the person wants it sent, check_certified_letter to price a draft by its real page count.

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

All Piloxa – Certified Mail tools Inspect

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