Common IANA timezone names for clock calls.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | No | HTTPS URL to normalize or cite | |
| host | No | Public hostname | |
| json | No | JSON text to validate; discarded after the check | |
| zone | No | IANA timezone name |
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are provided, so the description carries the full burden of disclosing behavior. It does not say whether the tool lists, validates, resolves, or returns IANA zones, what inputs it expects, or what output is produced.
Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.
Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?
The description is short, but it is a noun phrase rather than a structured sentence with a verb. This is under-specification rather than effective conciseness, since no actionable information is front-loaded.
Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.
Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?
With no output schema and no annotations, the description must explain the tool's purpose and behavior, but it only gives a vague domain. The four optional parameters, the siblings, and the expected return value are all left unexplained.
Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.
Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?
Schema description coverage is 100%, so each parameter is individually documented and the baseline is 3. However, the description adds no parameter semantics and does not clarify why url, host, and json appear alongside zone, which is the only parameter that aligns with IANA timezone names.
Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.
Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?
The description names a resource ('Common IANA timezone names') but does not state any verb or operation, so it reads as a fragment. It also does not distinguish the tool from the timezone-related siblings like timezone, utc-time, and year-utc.
Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.
Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?
No explicit guidance is given about when to use this tool versus alternatives. The phrase 'for clock calls' hints at a context but is too vague to help an agent choose between iana-zones and the other time-related tools.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.
Several tools overlap in purpose, especially citation, normalize-url, and domain-shape, all of which inspect URLs or hostnames. The time-related tools utc-time and year-utc also overlap because a timestamp contains the year. Other tools are more distinct, but the boundary between these clusters is not always clear.
All names use lowercase kebab-case, which gives some visual consistency. However, the pattern is mixed: some are verb-object names (normalize-url, validate-json, inspect-robots), while others are standalone nouns or noun-noun compounds (citation, timezone, status-catalog, year-utc). This makes the naming readable but not predictably consistent.
Eleven tools is a reasonable number for a utility-style server, neither too sparse nor overwhelming. The count feels slightly inflated by the mixed domains, but no individual tool is redundant enough to cut. Overall, the count is appropriate for a general-purpose utilities server.
The set covers a few small domains—URL inspection, time/timezone, HTTP status, and JSON validation—but none are fully fleshed out. For example, there is no timezone conversion or date formatting tool, and URL tools lack any operation for actual page retrieval. While the tools are self-contained, the overall surface feels more like a collection of samples than a complete workflow.