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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true, so safety is covered. The description adds the concrete endpoint and scoping ('of one job', 'Scope: recruitment'), which helps confirm this is a per-job read, but says nothing about pagination behavior, result ordering, or what happens when the job has no stages.

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?

Two short sentences, front-loaded with the purpose and followed by scope and endpoint. 'Scope: recruitment' and the path are mildly redundant with 'GET /recruitments/{id}/states', but nothing is wasted or buried.

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?

The tool takes five parameters including nested filter/sort and has no output schema, so the description could have explained the returned stage objects or paging behavior. With a fully documented schema it is adequate, but it leaves the agent without guidance on the return shape or on the overlap with traffit_get_job_stage_counts.

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 page, page_size, sort, filter, and job_id are all self-documented. The description adds no extra meaning to the nested filter/sort objects or the pagination parameters, so the baseline 3 applies.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('List the pipeline stages (states) of one job') plus the underlying endpoint GET /recruitments/{id}/states, so the agent knows exactly what it returns. It does not, however, distinguish itself from the sibling traffit_get_job_stage_counts, which targets the same sub-resource.

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?

Usage is only implied: the agent can infer it should call this when it needs the stage list for a known job_id. There is no explicit when-to-use, no mention of when to prefer traffit_get_job_stage_counts, and no stated prerequisites beyond the required job_id.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.