nydailynews_news

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

With no annotations and no output schema, the description carries full behavioral disclosure, and it does provide some: 'current' indicates freshness and 'public homepage' indicates a public, non-authenticated source. It does not state the response shape, count, or whether any transformation or pagination applies, though for a simple read-only zero-parameter fetch this 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?

The description is short and front-loaded with the action and resource. The second sentence partly repeats 'New York Daily News top stories' but it adds 'current' and 'from the public homepage'; still, it could be condensed into one sentence.

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 zero-parameter fetch with no output schema, the description gives the essential context: what is returned, which outlet, freshness, and source. It is complete enough to invoke and interpret generically, though it leaves the exact list item structure unspecified.

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 has zero parameters and the description requires no inputs, so there is no semantic ambiguity to resolve. With no parameters, this dimension earns the baseline rather than being docked for missing parameter details.

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 action ('Get') and resource ('New York Daily News top stories') and clarifies the source is the public homepage, so an agent can identify what this endpoint returns. It does not explicitly contrast with sibling tools like nydailynews_headlines or nydailynews_article, so it stops 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 phrase 'current ... from the public homepage' signals this is for fetching the latest top-story list rather than searching or looking up an article. However, it never says when to prefer this over nydailynews_headlines or nydailynews_sections, and there are no exclusions or alternative routes. This leaves selection between sibling news tools partly to inference.

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