UK Data for Agents

drug_overdose_deaths_12mo

Read-onlyIdempotent

How many people are dying of drug overdoses in the US? Returns CDC's provisional 12-month-ending count of drug overdose deaths, reported and predicted (adjusted for delayed reporting), for the US or one state, month by month with the change on a year earlier, from NCHS Vital Statistics Rapid Release. For journalists and policy staff tracking the fentanyl-era trend. Provisional and lagged by several months; no breakdown by drug here. (cost: 1 credit)

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "drug_overdose_deaths_12mo"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`state`	No	string, optional, US or 2-letter state code (YC or NYC for New York City), default US
`months`	No	integer, optional, 1-36 most recent months, default 12

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

AddedNov 5, 2026

TDQS

A4.1/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive and openWorld, so the safety profile is covered; the description adds genuinely new behavioral context by flagging that figures are provisional, lagged by several months, and include predicted values adjusted for delayed reporting. It also discloses a 1-credit cost, which an agent cannot learn from annotations. It does not describe pagination or exact response shape, 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?

The opening question front-loads the topic, and the remaining sentences pack source, granularity, audience, caveats and cost efficiently. It is dense but every clause carries information; the rhetorical question is the only mildly expendable element.

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

Completeness4/5

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

With no output schema, the description still sketches the return shape (month-by-month counts plus year-earlier change) and warns about provisional lag and absent drug breakdowns, which is what an agent needs to interpret results. Only minor gaps remain, such as the exact field names or unit of the year-on-year change.

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

Parameters3/5

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

Schema description coverage is 100%, and the schema already documents the state code (including YC/NYC) and the 1-36 month range with defaults. The description only restates 'US or one state' and 'month by month', adding no new semantics about parameter behavior, so baseline 3 applies.

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?

The description gives a specific verb+resource (returns CDC's provisional 12-month-ending count of drug overdose deaths) plus scope (US or one state), granularity (month by month with year-earlier change) and provenance (NCHS VSRR). This clearly separates it from the many drug_* siblings, which are about names, classes, uses and side effects rather than mortality statistics.

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?

It sets a clear context for use ('for journalists and policy staff tracking the fentanyl-era trend') and implies a limitation to route around ('no breakdown by drug here'), which tells an agent when this tool is not sufficient. It stops short of naming an alternative tool to use instead, so it is clear but not fully explicit about siblings.

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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