Fetch current NBC News top stories across the site, returning titles, URLs, summaries, authors, publication times, and images for quick news monitoring.
Get NBC News top stories. Returns the current NBC News top stories across the site, with no parameters. Each item has a title and URL, and may include summary, author, publication time and image. Use nbc-headlines to read one section.
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Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v1.17.5Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are provided, so the description bears the full burden, and it delivers: it discloses the parameter-free nature, that results span the whole site, and the per-item shape (title and URL always; summary, author, publication time, image optional). It omits access/auth or freshness/pagination behavior, but for a public, read-only feed fetch that is a minor gap.
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 compact sentences, front-loaded with purpose, then return shape, then the sibling routing hint. No filler and nothing repetitive; each sentence carries distinct information.
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, the description must convey return values, and it lists the guaranteed fields plus the optional ones, which is sufficient to call and interpret the tool. A note on item count, ordering, or update cadence would round it out, but nothing essential is missing.
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, which the description explicitly confirms ('with no parameters'), so there is nothing for parameter documentation to add. The zero-param baseline of 4 is exceeded only slightly by that explicit confirmation; a 5 is defensible given nothing is left ambiguous about invocation.
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 and resource ('Get NBC News top stories') and immediately scopes it as site-wide ('across the site'), which cleanly separates it from the per-section sibling nbc-headlines. An agent can distinguish it from nbc_sections, nbc_headlines, and nbc_article without opening any schema.
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?
Names an explicit alternative and the condition selecting it: 'Use `nbc-headlines` to read one section,' implying nbc_news is the choice for site-wide top stories. It gives clear routing context but stops short of stating full when-not-to-use guidance or naming nbc_sections/front-page alternatives.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.