ESQ Matching Engine

Check if a lawyer is taking clients

check_attorney_availability

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use when the person asks whether a lawyer takes new clients or can meet soon. Returns only what lawyers reported or confirmed, with last-checked time and certainty (reported, tentative, confirmed); unknown when nothing was reported. There is no live calendar access. This is a listing service, not a lawyer referral service. No lawyer pays for placement or ranking of any kind.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`time_zone`	No
`wanted_by`	No	Latest acceptable consultation date
`attorney_ids`	Yes
`appointment_type`	No

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`attorneys`	Yes
`time_zone`	Yes
`checked_at`	Yes
`next_steps`	Yes
`api_version`	Yes
`live_calendar_access`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed11 schema fields changedOct 25, 2026

removedOutput schema / properties / api_version / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedOutput schema / properties / api_version / x-observed-types
```
Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```

changedOutput schema / properties / attorneys / anyOf

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "items": {
-      "anyOf": [
-        {
-          "additionalProperties": {},
-          "properties": {
-            "accepting_new_matters": {
-              "type": [
-                "boolean",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "appointment_types": {
-              "anyOf": [
-                {
-                  "items": {},
-                  "type": "array"
-                },
-                {
-                  "type": "null"
-                }
-              ]
-            },
-            "attorney_id": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "certainty": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "fits_requested_date": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "last_checked": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "name": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "next_available_at": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "note": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "offers_requested_appointment_type": {
-              "type": "null"
-            },
-            "source": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "stale": {
-              "type": [
-                "boolean",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            },
-            "status": {
-              "type": [
-                "string",
-                "null"
-              ]
-            }
-          },
-          "type": "object"
-        },
-        {
-          "type": "null"
-        }
-      ]
-    },
-    "type": "array"
-  },
-  {
-    "type": "null"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "items": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "additionalProperties": {},
+          "properties": {
+            "accepting_new_matters": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "boolean",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "appointment_types": {
+              "anyOf": [
+                {
+                  "items": {},
+                  "type": "array"
+                },
+                {
+                  "type": "null"
+                }
+              ]
+            },
+            "attorney_id": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "certainty": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "fits_requested_date": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "last_checked": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "next_available_at": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "note": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "offers_requested_appointment_type": {
+              "x-observed-types": "null"
+            },
+            "source": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "stale": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "boolean",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            },
+            "status": {
+              "x-observed-types": [
+                "string",
+                "null"
+              ]
+            }
+          },
+          "type": "object"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "type": "array"
+  },
+  {
+    "type": "null"
+  }
+]

removedOutput schema / properties / checked_at / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedOutput schema / properties / checked_at / x-observed-types
```
Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
removedOutput schema / properties / live_calendar_access / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "boolean",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedOutput schema / properties / live_calendar_access / x-observed-types
```
Added value: +[
+  "boolean",
+  "null"
+]
```
removedOutput schema / properties / next_steps / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedOutput schema / properties / next_steps / x-observed-types
```
Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
removedOutput schema / properties / time_zone / type
```
Removed value: -[
-  "string",
-  "null"
-]
```
addedOutput schema / properties / time_zone / x-observed-types
```
Added value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```

Changed1 schema field changedOct 24, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "additionalProperties": {},
+  "properties": {
+    "api_version": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "attorneys": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "items": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "additionalProperties": {},
+                "properties": {
+                  "accepting_new_matters": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "boolean",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "appointment_types": {
+                    "anyOf": [
+                      {
+                        "items": {},
+                        "type": "array"
+                      },
+                      {
+                        "type": "null"
+                      }
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "attorney_id": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "certainty": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "fits_requested_date": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "last_checked": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "name": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "next_available_at": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "note": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "offers_requested_appointment_type": {
+                    "type": "null"
+                  },
+                  "source": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "stale": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "boolean",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  },
+                  "status": {
+                    "type": [
+                      "string",
+                      "null"
+                    ]
+                  }
+                },
+                "type": "object"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          "type": "array"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    "checked_at": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "live_calendar_access": {
+      "type": [
+        "boolean",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "next_steps": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    },
+    "time_zone": {
+      "type": [
+        "string",
+        "null"
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "api_version",
+    "checked_at",
+    "time_zone",
+    "live_calendar_access",
+    "attorneys",
+    "next_steps"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

First observedOct 17, 2026

TDQS

A3.9/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint/idempotentHint/non-destructive and closed-world, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds genuinely useful behavioral context beyond that: data provenance (only what lawyers reported or confirmed), a certainty taxonomy (reported, tentative, confirmed), staleness signaling via last-checked time, an explicit 'unknown' fallback, and the caveat that there is no live calendar access. The paid-placement disclaimer is trust/compliance framing rather than invocation guidance, keeping it below a 5.

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 trigger condition, then behavioral facts in short declarative sentences. Most sentences earn their place, though the closing pair about not being a referral service and no paid placement reads as boilerplate that doesn't help an agent decide or call the tool.

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

Completeness3/5

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

With an output schema present, the description needn't explain return values, and annotations cover safety. However, for a 4-parameter tool with 25% schema coverage, the description leaves parameter usage essentially unexplained, which is the main completeness gap.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters2/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is only 25% – only wanted_by is documented in the schema; time_zone, attorney_ids, and appointment_type have no descriptions. The tool description compensates almost not at all: it never explains the batch limit of attorney_ids, the expected format for time_zone, or how appointment_type interacts with the availability result. 'Can meet soon' only loosely gestures at wanted_by.

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?

States a specific verb+resource (check attorney availability) and scopes it to two concrete questions: whether a lawyer takes new clients, and whether they can meet soon. This distinguishes it from siblings like find_attorneys or get_attorney_profile without needing to open their schemas.

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 opening sentence gives an explicit trigger condition tied to the person's question, which is strong when-to-use guidance. It stops short of naming alternatives or exclusions (e.g., use find_attorneys first to discover IDs), so it falls 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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