Retrieve CBS News top stories via Crawlora MCP with no input, returning titles, canonical URLs, and optional summaries, authors, times, and images.
Get CBS News top stories. Returns the latest CBS News top stories, with no input needed. Each item has a title and canonical URL, and may also carry a summary, author, publication time and image.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v1.17.5Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations, the description carries the full behavioral burden, and it does disclose the return shape (title, canonical URL, and optionally summary, author, publication time, image) plus that no input is required. It says nothing about freshness, result count, ordering, or rate limits, which are the remaining behavioral questions for a live news feed.
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?
Three short sentences with the core action front-loaded and no filler. The first two sentences restate the same idea ('Get CBS News top stories' / 'Returns the latest CBS News top stories'), a minor redundancy that keeps it just short of a 5.
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?
With no output schema and no parameters, the description usefully compensates by enumerating the fields each item carries, which is exactly the information an agent would otherwise lack. The only real gap is the missing differentiation from cbsnews_headlines, a sibling that could easily be confused with this one.
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 takes zero parameters, so per the baseline there is no parameter semantics to document and the schema is complete by definition. The description correctly reinforces that no input is needed, adding a small amount of confidence without contradicting anything.
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?
States a specific verb ('Get') and resource ('CBS News top stories'), so the agent knows exactly what is fetched. It does not, however, distinguish itself from the sibling cbsnews_headlines, which by name appears to serve a near-identical purpose, leaving the boundary between the two tools unstated.
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?
'No input needed' implies this is a zero-configuration feed call, which is mildly useful context. But there is no when-to-use guidance and no reference to alternatives such as cbsnews_headlines, cbsnews_article, or cbsnews_sections, so an agent has no basis for choosing among the CBS News siblings.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.