drain

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

Discloses side effects: 'makes external HTTP requests for each due entry; writes results to the YAML backend'. Also states idempotence and no-op behavior. No annotations provided, so description fully handles transparency.

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?

Five concise sentences, each adding unique information: purpose, side effects, idempotence, usage guidance, and alternative tools. No redundancy or fluff.

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 only one parameter, no output schema, and no annotations, the description covers all needed aspects: what it does, side effects, idempotence, usage pattern, and related tools. Fully complete.

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 covers the parameter 'now' with a description. The description adds value by specifying default behavior: 'defaults to current UTC time when omitted'. Schema coverage is 100% so baseline is 3, but addition of default earns a 4.

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 verb 'fire' and the resource 'scheduled posts due at or before a time boundary'. It differentiates from siblings by explicitly naming alternative tools: 'use publish or schedule to add new content; use status to inspect results after drain runs'.

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?

Provides explicit when-to-use ('on a recurring schedule to flush the queue'), when-not-to-use (use other tools for adding or inspecting), and additional context ('Safe to call from cron').

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