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gutenberg-mcp-server

Browse Popular Gutenberg Books

gutenberg_browse_popular
Read-onlyIdempotent

Browse Project Gutenberg books ordered by downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot. Returns up to 32 titles with IDs, authors, languages, download counts, and is_readable. Filter by language, topic, MIME prefix or copyright status. Empty matches succeed with criteria and a notice; truncated results include executable search continuation. Use this for discovery — "what are the most popular classics in French?".

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": "gutenberg_browse_popular"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoRequested number of books. Default 20; requests above 32 are capped locally at 32.
topicNoFilter by a subject or bookshelf keyword (case-insensitive phrase match). Example: "science fiction", "adventure", "detective". Applies on top of the language filter.
copyrightNoAny selected source copyright status: "true" copyrighted, "false" public domain in the USA, "null" unknown. Empty means all statuses; this is not worldwide legal clearance.
languagesNoRestrict to books in these catalog language codes, exactly as results report them ("en", not "eng"). Example: ["en"] for English only, ["de", "fr"] for German or French, ["ang"] for Old English. Omit for all languages.
mime_typeNoLiteral prefix of a format MIME key, such as "text/plain" or "application/pdf". Type and subtype casing is normalized; parameter suffixes retain literal case. Blank means unset.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
capNoThe limit that was applied.
booksNoTop books by downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot, most popular first.
errorNoPresent when the call failed. Absent on success.
shownNoNumber of books returned in this response.
noticeNoGuidance for empty or capped results.
truncatedNoTrue when the catalog held more matches than were returned.
appliedLimitNoBook limit applied locally, at most 32.
continuationNoPresent only when more matching books exist.
requestedLimitNoPositive integral book limit requested before capping.
totalInCatalogNoTotal books matching the filter in the full catalog (useful for context — "top 20 of 60,000").
effectiveCriteriaNoNormalized browse criteria, including popular sort and first page.
truncationCeilingNoDownloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot for the least-popular book shown; omitted books have at most this count.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed10 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / mime_type / description
      Previous value: -"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset."New value: +"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"application/pdf\". Type and subtype casing is normalized; parameter suffixes retain literal case. Blank means unset."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / is_readable / description
      Previous value: -"True for non-Sound records with UTF-8 plain text or HTML supported by gutenberg_get_text."New value: +"Eligible Text record with UTF-8 plain text, or HTML without audio formats. Does not guarantee the mirror file exists."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / mime_type / description
      Previous value: -"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset."New value: +"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"application/pdf\". Type and subtype casing is normalized; parameter suffixes retain literal case. Blank means unset."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. More than four words require the local mirror; live fallback rejects longer queries. Whitespace separates words."New value: +"Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name as a literal substring. The local mirror ignores case and accents; live matching is upstream-defined. More than four words require the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / topic / description
      Previous value: -"Case-insensitive phrase in a subject or bookshelf; blank means unset."New value: +"Phrase in a subject or bookshelf, ignoring case and, on the local mirror, accents; blank means unset."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / translator / description
      Previous value: -"Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."New value: +"Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name as a literal substring, ignoring case and accents. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / mime_type / description
      Previous value: -"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset."New value: +"Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"application/pdf\". Type and subtype casing is normalized; parameter suffixes retain literal case. Blank means unset."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / query / description
      Previous value: -"Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. More than four words require the local mirror; live fallback rejects longer queries. Whitespace separates words."New value: +"Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name as a literal substring. The local mirror ignores case and accents; live matching is upstream-defined. More than four words require the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / topic / description
      Previous value: -"Case-insensitive phrase in a subject or bookshelf; blank means unset."New value: +"Phrase in a subject or bookshelf, ignoring case and, on the local mirror, accents; blank means unset."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / translator / description
      Previous value: -"Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."New value: +"Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name as a literal substring, ignoring case and accents. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words."
  2. Changed12 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / languages / description
      Previous value: -"Restrict to books in these languages (two-character ISO 639-1 codes). Example: [\"en\"] for English only, [\"de\", \"fr\"] for German or French. Omit for all languages."New value: +"Restrict to books in these catalog language codes, exactly as results report them (\"en\", not \"eng\"). Example: [\"en\"] for English only, [\"de\", \"fr\"] for German or French, [\"ang\"] for Old English. Omit for all languages."
    • changedInput schema / properties / languages / items / maxLength
      Previous value: -2New value: +3
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / author_year_end / description
      Previous value: -"At least one author has a birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative)."New value: +"An author has a known birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative). With author_year_start, one author must meet both bounds."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / author_year_start / description
      Previous value: -"At least one author has a birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative)."New value: +"An author has a known birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative). With author_year_end, one author must meet both bounds."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / languages / description
      Previous value: -"Any listed two-character ISO 639-1 language code; empty means all languages."New value: +"Any listed two- or three-letter catalog language code; empty means all languages."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / languages / items / maxLength
      Previous value: -2New value: +3
    • addedOutput schema / properties / continuation / properties / arguments / properties / translator
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / author_year_end / description
      Previous value: -"At least one author has a birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative)."New value: +"An author has a known birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative). With author_year_start, one author must meet both bounds."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / author_year_start / description
      Previous value: -"At least one author has a birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative)."New value: +"An author has a known birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative). With author_year_end, one author must meet both bounds."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / languages / description
      Previous value: -"Any listed two-character ISO 639-1 language code; empty means all languages."New value: +"Any listed two- or three-letter catalog language code; empty means all languages."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / languages / items / maxLength
      Previous value: -2New value: +3
    • addedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria / properties / translator
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Every nonblank word must occur in a translator name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. Requires the local mirror. Whitespace separates words.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
  3. Changed8 schema fields changed
    • addedInput schema / properties / copyright
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Any selected source copyright status: \"true\" copyrighted, \"false\" public domain in the USA, \"null\" unknown. Empty means all statuses; this is not worldwide legal clearance.",
      +  "items": {
      +    "enum": [
      +      "true",
      +      "false",
      +      "null"
      +    ],
      +    "type": "string"
      +  },
      +  "type": "array"
      +}
    • addedInput schema / properties / mime_type
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "not": {
      -      "required": [
      -        "error"
      -      ]
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "requestedLimit",
      -      "appliedLimit",
      -      "books",
      -      "totalInCatalog",
      -      "truncated",
      -      "shown",
      -      "cap"
      -    ]
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "required": [
      -      "error"
      -    ]
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "requestedLimit",
      +      "appliedLimit",
      +      "books",
      +      "totalInCatalog",
      +      "effectiveCriteria",
      +      "truncated",
      +      "shown",
      +      "cap"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / continuation
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "Present only when more matching books exist.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "arguments": {
      +      "additionalProperties": false,
      +      "description": "Executable search arguments preserving all filters. Page 1 may repeat already shown books when the browse cap cuts a page.",
      +      "properties": {
      +        "author_year_end": {
      +          "description": "At least one author has a birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative).",
      +          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +          "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +          "type": "integer"
      +        },
      +        "author_year_start": {
      +          "description": "At least one author has a birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative).",
      +          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +          "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +          "type": "integer"
      +        },
      +        "copyright": {
      +          "description": "Any selected source copyright status: \"true\" copyrighted, \"false\" public domain in the USA, \"null\" unknown. Empty means all statuses; this is not worldwide legal clearance.",
      +          "items": {
      +            "enum": [
      +              "true",
      +              "false",
      +              "null"
      +            ],
      +            "type": "string"
      +          },
      +          "type": "array"
      +        },
      +        "ids": {
      +          "description": "Restrict to these Gutenberg IDs, intersected with other filters. An empty list selects nothing; omit for unrestricted IDs.",
      +          "items": {
      +            "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +            "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +            "type": "integer"
      +          },
      +          "type": "array"
      +        },
      +        "languages": {
      +          "description": "Any listed two-character ISO 639-1 language code; empty means all languages.",
      +          "items": {
      +            "maxLength": 2,
      +            "minLength": 2,
      +            "type": "string"
      +          },
      +          "type": "array"
      +        },
      +        "mime_type": {
      +          "description": "Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset.",
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "page": {
      +          "default": 1,
      +          "description": "One-indexed page of at most 32 matches. Pages beyond the result range are errors.",
      +          "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +          "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +          "type": "integer"
      +        },
      +        "query": {
      +          "description": "Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. More than four words require the local mirror; live fallback rejects longer queries. Whitespace separates words.",
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "sort": {
      +          "default": "popular",
      +          "description": "Popular orders by source-snapshot downloads in the last 30 days, with ID tie-breaks locally; ascending and descending order by Gutenberg ID.",
      +          "enum": [
      +            "popular",
      +            "ascending",
      +            "descending"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "topic": {
      +          "description": "Case-insensitive phrase in a subject or bookshelf; blank means unset.",
      +          "type": "string"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "required": [
      +        "sort",
      +        "page"
      +      ],
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    "tool": {
      +      "const": "gutenberg_search_books",
      +      "description": "Tool to call for the remaining matching books.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "tool",
      +    "arguments"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • addedOutput schema / properties / effectiveCriteria
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": false,
      +  "description": "Normalized browse criteria, including popular sort and first page.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "author_year_end": {
      +      "description": "At least one author has a birth or death year on or before this year (CE positive, BCE negative).",
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "author_year_start": {
      +      "description": "At least one author has a birth or death year on or after this year (CE positive, BCE negative).",
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "copyright": {
      +      "description": "Any selected source copyright status: \"true\" copyrighted, \"false\" public domain in the USA, \"null\" unknown. Empty means all statuses; this is not worldwide legal clearance.",
      +      "items": {
      +        "enum": [
      +          "true",
      +          "false",
      +          "null"
      +        ],
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "type": "array"
      +    },
      +    "ids": {
      +      "description": "Restrict to these Gutenberg IDs, intersected with other filters. An empty list selects nothing; omit for unrestricted IDs.",
      +      "items": {
      +        "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +        "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +        "type": "integer"
      +      },
      +      "type": "array"
      +    },
      +    "languages": {
      +      "description": "Any listed two-character ISO 639-1 language code; empty means all languages.",
      +      "items": {
      +        "maxLength": 2,
      +        "minLength": 2,
      +        "type": "string"
      +      },
      +      "type": "array"
      +    },
      +    "mime_type": {
      +      "description": "Literal prefix of a format MIME key, such as \"text/plain\" or \"text/html\". Blank means unset.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "page": {
      +      "default": 1,
      +      "description": "One-indexed page of at most 32 matches. Pages beyond the result range are errors.",
      +      "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "query": {
      +      "description": "Every nonblank word must occur in the title or an author name, case-insensitively, as a literal substring. More than four words require the local mirror; live fallback rejects longer queries. Whitespace separates words.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "sort": {
      +      "default": "popular",
      +      "description": "Popular orders by source-snapshot downloads in the last 30 days, with ID tie-breaks locally; ascending and descending order by Gutenberg ID.",
      +      "enum": [
      +        "popular",
      +        "ascending",
      +        "descending"
      +      ],
      +      "type": "string"
      +    },
      +    "topic": {
      +      "description": "Case-insensitive phrase in a subject or bookshelf; blank means unset.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "sort",
      +    "page"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: No books match the language/topic filter combination. `catalog_unavailable`: The Project Gutenberg catalog did not answer within the time this server allows for one browse. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `catalog_unavailable`: The Project Gutenberg catalog did not answer within the time this server allows for one browse. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "no_results",
      -  "catalog_unavailable"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "catalog_unavailable"
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / notice
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Guidance for empty or capped results.",
      +  "type": "string"
      +}
  4. Changed11 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / description
      Previous value: -"Number of books to return (1–32). Default 20 gives a useful overview without overwhelming context."New value: +"Requested number of books. Default 20; requests above 32 are capped locally at 32."
    • changedInput schema / properties / limit / maximum
      Previous value: -32New value: +9007199254740991
    • changedOutput schema / anyOf
      Previous value: -[
      -  {
      -    "not": {
      -      "required": [
      -        "error"
      -      ]
      -    },
      -    "required": [
      -      "books",
      -      "totalInCatalog",
      -      "truncated",
      -      "shown",
      -      "cap"
      -    ]
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "required": [
      -      "error"
      -    ]
      -  }
      -]New value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "requestedLimit",
      +      "appliedLimit",
      +      "books",
      +      "totalInCatalog",
      +      "truncated",
      +      "shown",
      +      "cap"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / appliedLimit
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Book limit applied locally, at most 32.",
      +  "type": "number"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / description
      Previous value: -"Top books by download count, most popular first."New value: +"Top books by downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot, most popular first."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / download_count / description
      Previous value: -"Total downloads — the basis for the popularity ranking."New value: +"Downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot — the popularity ranking basis."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / has_plain_text / description
      Previous value: -"True if media_type is \"Text\" AND a UTF-8 text/plain format is available via gutenberg_get_text."New value: +"True for Text records with UTF-8 plain text; HTML-only editions can still have is_readable=true."
    • addedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / is_readable
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "True for non-Sound records with UTF-8 plain text or HTML supported by gutenberg_get_text.",
      +  "type": "boolean"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / items / required
      Previous value: -[
      -  "id",
      -  "title",
      -  "authors",
      -  "languages",
      -  "download_count",
      -  "has_plain_text"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "id",
      +  "title",
      +  "authors",
      +  "languages",
      +  "download_count",
      +  "has_plain_text",
      +  "is_readable"
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / requestedLimit
      Added value: +{
      +  "description": "Positive integral book limit requested before capping.",
      +  "type": "number"
      +}
    • changedOutput schema / properties / truncationCeiling / description
      Previous value: -"Download count of the least-popular book shown — omitted books have at most this many downloads."New value: +"Downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot for the least-popular book shown; omitted books have at most this count."
  5. Changed4 schema fields changed
    • removedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / authors / items / properties / birth_year / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / authors / items / properties / birth_year / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
    • removedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / authors / items / properties / death_year / anyOf
      Removed value: -[
      -  {
      -    "type": "number"
      -  },
      -  {
      -    "type": "null"
      -  }
      -]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / authors / items / properties / death_year / type
      Added value: +[
      +  "number",
      +  "null"
      +]
  6. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / description
      Previous value: -"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: No books match the language/topic filter combination. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."New value: +"Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: No books match the language/topic filter combination. `catalog_unavailable`: The Project Gutenberg catalog did not answer within the time this server allows for one browse. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler."
    • changedOutput schema / properties / error / properties / data / properties / reason / examples
      Previous value: -[
      -  "no_results"
      -]New value: +[
      +  "no_results",
      +  "catalog_unavailable"
      +]
  7. Changed6 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedInput schema / additionalProperties
      Added value: +false
    • changedOutput schema / $schema
      Previous value: -"http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"New value: +"https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema"
    • addedOutput schema / anyOf
      Added value: +[
      +  {
      +    "not": {
      +      "required": [
      +        "error"
      +      ]
      +    },
      +    "required": [
      +      "books",
      +      "totalInCatalog",
      +      "truncated",
      +      "shown",
      +      "cap"
      +    ]
      +  },
      +  {
      +    "required": [
      +      "error"
      +    ]
      +  }
      +]
    • addedOutput schema / properties / error
      Added value: +{
      +  "additionalProperties": {},
      +  "description": "Present when the call failed. Absent on success.",
      +  "properties": {
      +    "code": {
      +      "description": "JSON-RPC error code for this failure.",
      +      "maximum": 9007199254740991,
      +      "minimum": -9007199254740991,
      +      "type": "integer"
      +    },
      +    "data": {
      +      "additionalProperties": {},
      +      "properties": {
      +        "reason": {
      +          "description": "Machine-readable failure mode. Declared by this tool: `no_results`: No books match the language/topic filter combination. Other values are possible when a failure originates below the handler.",
      +          "examples": [
      +            "no_results"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "string"
      +        },
      +        "recovery": {
      +          "additionalProperties": {},
      +          "description": "Actionable next step for the caller.",
      +          "properties": {
      +            "hint": {
      +              "type": "string"
      +            }
      +          },
      +          "required": [
      +            "hint"
      +          ],
      +          "type": "object"
      +        },
      +        "retryable": {
      +          "description": "Whether retrying may succeed.",
      +          "type": "boolean"
      +        }
      +      },
      +      "type": "object"
      +    },
      +    "message": {
      +      "description": "Human-readable description of what went wrong.",
      +      "type": "string"
      +    }
      +  },
      +  "required": [
      +    "code",
      +    "message"
      +  ],
      +  "type": "object"
      +}
    • removedOutput schema / required
      Removed value: -[
      -  "books",
      -  "totalInCatalog",
      -  "truncated",
      -  "shown",
      -  "cap"
      -]
  8. Changed1 schema field changed
    • changedOutput schema / properties / books / items / properties / has_plain_text / description
      Previous value: -"True if media_type is \"Text\" AND a text/plain format is available via gutenberg_get_text."New value: +"True if media_type is \"Text\" AND a UTF-8 text/plain format is available via gutenberg_get_text."
  9. First observed

TDQS

A4.1/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already cover the read-only/idempotent/open-world profile, and the description adds behavior the annotations cannot: a hard 32-title cap, the fact that empty matches still succeed (with criteria and a notice rather than an error), and that truncated pages carry an executable continuation. These are exactly the edge cases an agent needs and none are derivable from structured fields.

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?

Front-loaded with the ordering and scope, then behavior, then usage — a sound information order. It is dense with semicolon-joined clauses and the return-field list is arguably redundant given the output schema, but no sentence is pure filler.

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?

An output schema exists, so the description does not need the ID/author/language field list it includes, and that is the only wasted coverage. The genuinely load-bearing parts — the 32 cap, empty-result semantics, and continuation behavior — make it complete enough for an open-world, zero-required-parameter browse tool.

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 coverage is 100% and the parameter descriptions already explain language codes, copyright tri-state, and MIME prefix matching in more detail than the description does. The description's "Filter by language, topic, MIME prefix or copyright status" only enumerates what the schema already documents; the one added signal, that results cap at 32, is also restated in the limit schema description.

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

Purpose4/5

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

States a specific verb and resource plus its ranking basis: "Browse Project Gutenberg books ordered by downloads in the last 30 days at the source snapshot." That clearly separates it from gutenberg_get_book and gutenberg_get_text, but the nearest sibling, gutenberg_search_books, is never named, so the agent must infer the popularity-list vs keyword-search split.

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?

The closing clause "Use this for discovery — 'what are the most popular classics in French?'" gives concrete use context and an example query shape. It stops short of stating when-not or naming the keyword-search alternative, so the routing rule is implied rather than explicit.

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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