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

Beyond the annotations, the description adds substantial behavioral detail: it is free and unmetered, defines the counting semantics including negative ranges, explains that weekend days and public holidays are returned, lists specific statutory weekend rules, and documents error behaviors such as year_not_held and holiday_date_pending. These are all meaningful operational traits not covered by the readOnly/idempotent annotations.

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?

The description is front-loaded with the core purpose and key constraint, and most sentences are dense with useful detail. It is somewhat long and includes several illustrative country examples that, while relevant, could be trimmed for brevity, but the structure remains clear and purposeful.

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?

Given the tool's complexity and the existence of an output schema, the description is complete enough for correct invocation. It covers calculation semantics, return contents, calendar limitations, and explicit error conditions, leaving no significant ambiguity for an agent to resolve.

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?

Although schema coverage is already 100%, the description adds important semantic meaning: country selects a national public-holiday calendar and statutory weekend rule, from/to follow half-open interval semantics with potential negative counts, and regional holidays are excluded. This goes well beyond the schema's terse date and country-code descriptions.

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?

The description states a precise verb and resource: counting business days between two dates. It distinguishes itself from the sibling add_business_days by explaining the inverse relationship and the interval convention '(from, to]', and it clarifies the inclusive-counting variant, so an agent can identify the tool's exact purpose 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.

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

The description clearly explains when the tool is appropriate: counting business days between two dates while accounting for national holidays and statutory weekends. It also notes limitations such as regional holidays not being applied and errors for unsupported years, but it does not explicitly contrast with other date-related siblings like is_business_day or count_working_days.

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