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

Annotations already declare the full safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, closed-world), so the bar is lower. The description adds real value beyond them: it enumerates returned content (source quantities, steps, timing estimates, disclosures) and gives a negative guarantee that subscriber recipes and household plans are never returned. It does not say what happens when a slug doesn't resolve.

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 tight sentences, front-loaded with the core action and the lookup key before the exclusions. 'Deliberately free' is slighty awkward phrasing but no sentence is wasteful.

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?

For a single-argument read with strong annotations and no output schema, the description covers what is fetched and what is excluded, which is most of an agent's need. The only real gap is error behavior for an unknown or non-free slug.

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 0%, so the schema documents only that 'slug' is a 1-100 character string. The description supplies the one missing semantic — that it is a *catalog* slug, not a household/subscriber identifier — but adds no format, example, or where-to-obtain-it guidance.

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?

Names a specific verb and cardinality ('Read one complete ... recipe'), the resource, and the exact lookup key ('by its catalog slug'). The closing sentence excludes subscriber recipes and household plans, which separates this from get_meal_planner_info and from the multi-result search_public_recipes.

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: you call this when you already have a catalog slug and need the full recipe. It never explicitly says 'use search_public_recipes to find a slug first' or names the alternatives, so routing between this and its two siblings is left to inference.

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