select_all

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

With no annotations, the description must bear the full burden of behavioral disclosure, but it only states the action without any side effects, conditions, or failure behavior (e.g., what happens if no input is focused). This lack of extra context makes it difficult for the agent to anticipate the tool's behavior in edge cases.

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?

The description is a single, well-structured sentence that immediately conveys the action and target. It contains no fluff or redundant phrasing, making it highly concise and front-loaded.

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?

Given the tool's low complexity—no parameters, no output schema, no annotations—the description fully specifies the operation in a single sentence. While it omits edge-case context like 'requires a focused input,' the simplicity of the action means the basic description is largely sufficient for an agent to understand and invoke it.

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?

The tool has zero parameters, so the schema is trivially complete and the description need not elaborate on argument semantics. The baseline of 4 is appropriate since no parameter information is required.

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?

The description clearly states the action ('Select all text') and the target resource ('currently focused input field'), making the tool's purpose unambiguous. It also distinguishes from siblings like clear_input and type_text, which perform different operations on the same 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?

The description provides no guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives such as clear_input or set_text. It does not mention scenarios like overwriting existing text or prerequisites (e.g., focusing an input field first), leaving the agent to infer usage from the name alone.

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