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Sifter

by finance.sifter
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Search the Sifter textbook

search_textbook
Read-only

Find chapters in Sifter's free textbook for student investors, written by university professors. It covers measuring a portfolio (time-weighted and money-weighted return, beta and alpha, tracking error, attribution), risk, valuation including DCF, and building an investing record. Returns matching chapters with a summary and a link; use read_textbook_chapter for the full text.

Tool call template

Replace each placeholder with a value matching the input schema. Only required parameters are included; add optional parameters as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "query": "<query>"
    },
    "name": "search_textbook"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
queryYesThe topic, e.g. "time-weighted return", "tracking error", "DCF".

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.1/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true, openWorldHint=false, and destructiveHint=false, so safety is covered. The description adds genuinely useful behavior beyond that: results are chapters with a summary and a link, and the corpus is a free, professor-authored textbook — context an agent cannot get from annotations alone.

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?

Two sentences, front-loaded with the action and resource. The parenthetical topic list is slightly long but earns its place by defining searchable coverage and teaching the agent what query terms will match.

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

Completeness4/5

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

For a one-parameter, read-only search tool with no output schema, the description supplies what matters: what the corpus is, what a result contains, and where to go for full text. It omits ranking or result-count behavior, but that is a minor gap.

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% and the single query parameter already carries topic examples, so the schema does the heavy lifting. The description's topical listing (time-weighted return, tracking error, DCF) reinforces what kinds of strings work but adds little syntax or formatting guidance beyond the schema.

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 opens with a specific verb and resource ("Find chapters in Sifter's free textbook") and scopes the content domain (portfolio measurement, risk, DCF valuation). It also names the sibling read_textbook_chapter as the full-text path, so an agent can distinguish the two tools without inspecting schemas.

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

Usage Guidelines4/5

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

Usage is clear by implication of topic search, and the description explicitly routes the agent to read_textbook_chapter when full text is needed. It stops short of stating when-not to use this tool (e.g., for non-textbook questions, where about_sifter might apply), so it is strong but not exhaustive.

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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