ctvnews_headlines

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the behavioral disclosure burden. It meaningfully discloses that results are 'current stories listed on one public CTV News section page,' are ordered 'newest first,' and include specific fields, which gives the agent useful expectations beyond the tool name.

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 front-loaded sentence that names the operation, scopes the source, states the ordering, and enumerates the return fields. Every piece of information earns its place, with no filler or redundant restatement.

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 single-parameter read tool with no output schema, the description is largely complete: it identifies the source, sort order, and returned fields. It stops short of covering edge behaviors such as pagination or result-count limits, but those are minor gaps for this kind of headline-listing endpoint.

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 input schema already documents the single parameter with an enum and a description ('CTV News section slug'), yielding 100% coverage. The description adds no additional parameter semantics beyond confirming that headlines are organized by section, so the baseline score of 3 is appropriate.

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 opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Get CTV News section headlines.' It then clarifies the scope to 'one public CTV News section page' and lists the returned fields, making the tool's function concrete and distinguishable from sibling tools like ctvnews_article or ctvnews_sections.

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 clearly implies the use case: fetch current headlines for a selected CTV News section. However, it provides no explicit guidance on when to prefer this tool over related tools such as ctvnews_news, ctvnews_sections, or ctvnews_article, leaving routing to inference.

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