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Library of Alexandria

by io.github.ltvspot
OverviewDiscussionsAdmin

Get sample pages

get_sample
Read-onlyIdempotent

Read the free opening of one title: the first chapter of its text, in pages of at most 400 words. Pass 'page' for the next page; every answer says how many pages there are and where the text continues. Until the text is open the answer says that it opens here soon.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idYesTitle id as found in a search result, for example top3500-00013 or forbidden-00004. A plain number is read as a number of the main list.
pageNoPage of the sample, starting at 1. Default 1. Each page has at most 400 words.
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.

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. First observed

TDQS

A3.8/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, and destructiveHint=false, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds useful behavior beyond annotations: 400-word page limits, answers reporting page count and continuation, and a placeholder response while the text is not yet open.

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?

The description is three short sentences with the purpose front-loaded, followed by pagination behavior and the unavailable-text state. Every sentence carries useful information and there is no 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?

For a simple paginated read tool with full schema coverage and explicit read-only annotations, the description covers purpose, pagination, and the 'opens here soon' state. It could say more about the response shape or error cases, but it is adequate for this 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 description coverage is 100%, so the schema already explains id, page, and language thoroughly, including the language enum. The description reinforces pagination and the 400-word page size but adds little parameter meaning beyond what the schema provides.

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 states a specific verb and resource: reading the free opening / first chapter of one title, with pagination of at most 400 words. It does not explicitly distinguish this from the sibling tool read_free_chapter, so it stops short of a 5.

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 'Read the free opening' and the instruction to pass 'page' for continuation, but there is no explicit when-to-use guidance, no exclusions, and no mention of alternatives such as read_free_chapter or get_passage.

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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