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UK Legal Research

by io.github.paulieb89

Search Parliamentary Bills

bills_search_bills
Read-onlyIdempotent

USE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK parliamentary bills by keyword, session, house, or legislative stage.

Returns a paginated page of bill summaries (title, current stage, whether it became an Act). AFTER calling, pass a bill_id into bills_get_bill for full detail (sponsors, long title, Royal Assent date).

Authoritative source for UK parliamentary bill status.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
houseNoFilter by originating house. Omit for all houses.
limitNoMaximum bills to return in this call. Default 20 keeps responses focused; raise up to 100 for bulk exports.
queryYesSearch term for bill titles and descriptions, e.g. 'online safety' or 'financial services'.
stageNoFilter by current legislative stage.
offsetNoNumber of results to skip before this page. Default 0 for the first page. Re-call with offset=offset+returned while has_more is true to paginate.
sessionNoNumeric parliamentary session ID (e.g. 40 = 2024-25, 39 = 2023-24). NOT a year string like '2025'. If you only know the year, omit this and filter the results instead. Omit to search all sessions.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
billsNoMatching bills. Use the integer `id` field from any bill to call bills_get_bill for full detail.
limitYesMaximum results requested in this call
queryYesThe search term that was used
totalNoTotal results matching the query across all pages, if the upstream API reported it. None if unknown.
offsetYesNumber of results skipped before this page
has_moreYesTrue if more results exist beyond this page. Re-call with offset=offset+returned to fetch the next page.
returnedYesNumber of results actually on this page

TDQS

A4.3/5.0
Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, and destructiveHint=false, lowering the bar for behavioral disclosure. The description adds useful context beyond annotations: results are a paginated page of bill summaries containing title, current stage, and Act status, and the tool is an authoritative source. No contradiction exists.

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 sentences, front-loaded with the usage trigger, and every sentence earns its place: what the tool searches, what it returns, and what to do next. There is no filler or redundant repetition of schema details.

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

Completeness5/5

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

Given the output schema exists, return values need no further explanation. The description covers search scope, result shape (paginated summaries with key fields), and the follow-up workflow to bills_get_bill, making it complete for a search tool of this complexity.

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%, with each parameter already well described in the input schema. The description only lightly reinforces that query/session/house/stage are the filter dimensions and adds no new parameter-level semantics. Baseline 3 is appropriate because the schema does the heavy lifting.

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 'USE THIS TOOL WHEN searching UK parliamentary bills' and names the exact resource (parliamentary bills) and filter dimensions (keyword, session, house, legislative stage). It clearly distinguishes itself from the sibling bills_get_bill by positioning search as the precursor and pointing to the get tool for full detail.

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?

It provides an explicit trigger ('USE THIS TOOL WHEN') and clear context: searching UK parliamentary bills with optional filters. It also gives follow-up guidance to call bills_get_bill with a bill_id for full detail, which serves as an alternative. It does not explicitly state when not to use it relative to broader legislation_search, so it stops short of a 5.

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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TDQS

A4.4/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

Every tool has a clearly distinct purpose, with detailed descriptions that prevent ambiguity. Tools covering similar domains (e.g., multiple parliament search tools) are carefully differentiated by their search approach and input requirements.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tools follow a consistent snake_case verb_noun pattern (e.g., bills_get_bill, case_law_search, citations_resolve). Even generic tools adhere to this style. No mixing of conventions.

Tool Count4/5

With 35 tools, the count is on the higher side but appropriate for the wide-ranging domain of UK legal research. Each tool contributes to specific sub-domains (bills, case law, citations, committees, HMRC, legislation, parliament, votes) without unnecessary duplication.

Completeness5/5

The tool surface covers nearly all essential aspects of UK legal research: searching and retrieving bills, case law, and legislation; parsing and resolving citations; exploring committee evidence; accessing Hansard debates and member interests; and checking HMRC guidance and VAT rates. Gaps like full judgment text retrieval are mitigated by paragraph-level access and indexing.

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