get_session_for_date

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

No annotations are provided, so the description carries the full behavioral burden. It confirms the tool returns session details, but says nothing about the important edge case of a date that falls outside any session (recess), nor about error behavior or whether the lookup is inclusive of session boundaries.

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 opens with three near-identical restatements of the same purpose separated by pipes, which is redundant padding. The Args/Returns docstring block is cleanly structured, but the 'Returns' sentence duplicates what the output schema already declares.

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 simple one-parameter read tool with an output schema present, the description is largely sufficient: it states the date format and what is returned. The remaining gap is the unspecified behavior for dates not covered by any session.

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% – the single 'date' parameter is a bare string with no format hint in the schema. The description compensates by specifying the required 'YYYY-MM-DD' format, which is genuinely load-bearing information the agent could not get from the structured fields.

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 names a specific verb+resource ('Get parliamentary session for date') and clarifies the lookup semantics (find which session a date falls within). It implicitly contrasts with get_session_by_id via the 'by date' framing, but never names that sibling, so it falls short of a 5.

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 three pipe-separated variants ('which session', 'session lookup by date', 'Find which parliamentary session a given date falls within') all restate the same purpose rather than providing usage guidance. There is no statement of when to prefer this over get_sessions, get_session_by_id, or get_sitting_dates.

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