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Library of Alexandria

by io.github.ltvspot
OverviewDiscussionsAdmin

Browse a collection

browse_collection
Read-onlyIdempotent

Browse a ready-made shelf of the library: the free books, the easy, medium or challenging reading levels, the lost books, the titles with a 15-minute summary, or the most popular titles. Returns up to 8 titles at a time, with a cursor for the next page.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
limitNoNumber of titles to return, 1 to 8. Default 8.
cursorNoWhere the page starts: the next_cursor of the previous answer. Default 0.
languageNoLanguage of the person asking, as a code: en English, es Spanish, de German, nl Dutch, fr French, it Italian, pt-BR Portuguese, ru Russian, zh-CN Chinese, zh-TW Chinese in traditional characters, ja Japanese, ko Korean, pl Polish, ar Arabic, hi Hindi, id Indonesian, ca Catalan. Titles, subtitles, authors and page addresses come back in this language. Default: the language of the query, else English.
collectionYesWhich shelf to browse.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed2 schema fields changed
    • changedInput schema / properties / language / description
      Previous value: -"Language of the person asking, as a code: en English, es Spanish, de German, nl Dutch, fr French, it Italian, pt-BR Portuguese, ru Russian, zh-CN Chinese, zh-TW Chinese in traditional characters, ja Japanese, ko Korean, pl Polish, ar Arabic, hi Hindi, id Indonesian. Titles, subtitles, authors and page addresses come back in this language. Default: the language of the query, else English."New value: +"Language of the person asking, as a code: en English, es Spanish, de German, nl Dutch, fr French, it Italian, pt-BR Portuguese, ru Russian, zh-CN Chinese, zh-TW Chinese in traditional characters, ja Japanese, ko Korean, pl Polish, ar Arabic, hi Hindi, id Indonesian, ca Catalan. Titles, subtitles, authors and page addresses come back in this language. Default: the language of the query, else English."
    • changedInput schema / properties / language / enum
      Previous value: -[
-  "en",
-  "es",
-  "de",
-  "nl",
-  "fr",
-  "it",
-  "pt-BR",
-  "ru",
-  "zh-CN",
-  "zh-TW",
-  "ja",
-  "ko",
-  "pl",
-  "ar",
-  "hi",
-  "id"
-]New value: +[
+  "en",
+  "es",
+  "de",
+  "nl",
+  "fr",
+  "it",
+  "pt-BR",
+  "ru",
+  "zh-CN",
+  "zh-TW",
+  "ja",
+  "ko",
+  "pl",
+  "ar",
+  "hi",
+  "id",
+  "ca"
+]
  2. Added

TDQS

A3.7/5.0
Behavior3/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, closed-world behavior, so the safety bar is lower. The description adds pagination behavior ('up to 8 titles at a time, with a cursor for the next page'), which is useful context, but that largely restates the limit/cursor schema. It says nothing about ordering within a shelf (how 'popular' is ranked) or what an exhausted cursor looks like.

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

Conciseness5/5

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

Two sentences, front-loaded with the resource and its variants, then the return shape. No filler and nothing an agent must read twice.

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 four-parameter paginated browse tool with rich annotations and full schema coverage, the description covers the collection choices and paging contract adequately. Without an output schema, a hint about the title record shape would have closed the remaining gap, but the essentials for correct invocation are present.

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%, so baseline is 3, but the description earns extra credit by glossing the enum values in human terms — 'free books', 'reading levels', 'the titles with a 15-minute summary' — which tells the agent what 'with-summary' and 'challenging' actually mean. Limit and cursor semantics are left entirely to the schema, which already handles them well.

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?

The description uses a specific verb and resource ('Browse a ready-made shelf of the library') and enumerates the exact shelves available, so the agent knows precisely what it fetches. It does not explicitly distinguish itself from close siblings like list_free_shelf or search_books, even though 'free books' overlaps with one of them.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

Usage is implied by the shelf enumeration — an agent can infer it should pick 'popular' or 'easy' when that's what the user wants. There is no explicit statement about when to prefer this over search_books or list_free_shelf, and no exclusions or prerequisites.

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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