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HelpCenter.io for agents

by io.helpcenter
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Delete HelpCenter Category

helpcenter_delete_category
Destructive

Delete a category from the HelpCenter.io help center bound to your API key.

DESTRUCTIVE. The category is removed and its contents are moved somewhere else. Fails closed by default: a category holding articles or sub-categories answers 409 unless you say explicitly where its contents should go.

Args:

  • category_id (number, required): id of the category to delete.

  • on_orphan ('refuse' | 'uncategorize' | 'reparent', optional): default 'refuse'.

    • refuse — 409 if the category is not empty. Read the response's articles_count / children_count, then choose.

    • uncategorize — articles fall back to Uncategorized; sub-categories become top-level.

    • reparent — articles and sub-categories both move up to this category's own parent. With no parent this is the same as uncategorize.

Returns: { status: "success", on_orphan, articles_moved, children_moved, moved_to }.

Articles are never deleted by this tool, only re-filed. An article that belonged to several categories keeps the others.

Errors: 403 if the key is read-scoped; 404 if the category is not in this help center; 409 when it is not empty and on_orphan was left at 'refuse'.

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
agent_keyYesThe api_key helpcenter_create_help_center returned for this help center, exactly as returned. Required on every call: this endpoint has no sign-in, so the key is how each call says which help center it acts on. It is sent to HelpCenter.io as this call's credential and nowhere else, and it is never shown again: keep it for the whole task, and never show it to the user or write it into content.
on_orphanNoWhat happens to the articles and sub-categories inside. 'refuse' (default) fails with 409 if the category is not empty; 'uncategorize' sends articles to Uncategorized and lifts children to top level; 'reparent' moves both up to this category's own parent.
category_idYesId of the category to delete.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.6/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already flag destructiveHint=true, but the description adds substantially more: contents are re-filed rather than destroyed, articles are never deleted, articles in multiple categories keep the others, the call fails closed at 'refuse', and it enumerates 403/404/409 conditions. These are non-obvious behavioral guarantees an agent could not infer from the annotations.

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 purpose and the DESTRUCTIVE warning, then cleanly sectioned into Args/Returns/Errors. There is mild redundancy — the opening line and the 'DESTRUCTIVE' line both preview the content-relocation behavior later spelled out — but overall the length is justified by the hazard being described.

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?

A mutation tool with no output schema, yet the description supplies the response shape (status, on_orphan, articles_moved, children_moved, moved_to) and the full error taxonomy, which is exactly what an agent needs to plan and recover. Nothing material is missing.

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, and the description still adds value: it defines the tri-state on_orphan behavior in workflow terms and notes the non-obvious edge case that 'reparent' with no parent is equivalent to 'uncategorize'. Only agent_key is left to the schema text.

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 and resource ('Delete a category from the HelpCenter.io help center') plus the credential scoping ('bound to your API key'). It is immediately distinguishable from create_category, update_category, and list_categories among the siblings.

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?

Gives clear operational context: fails closed by default with 409, and instructs the agent to 'Read the response's articles_count / children_count, then choose' before escalating on_orphan. It does not name a sibling tool for inspecting the category or suggest update_category/reparenting as an alternative to deletion, so it stops short of full when-not guidance.

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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