Retrieve VICE's 12 curated sections, including News, Life, Tech, and Music, each linking to its public listing page for content discovery.
Get VICE sections. Returns the VICE section inventory: the site's own 12 curated sections (News, Life, Tech, Music, and others), each linking to its public listing page.
| 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?
No annotations are provided, so the description carries full behavioral disclosure burden. It does communicate a read-only inventory action and the scope ('12 curated sections'), but it does not describe output fields, ordering, or whether the returned data includes only section names and links. This is adequate for a simple zero-parameter endpoint.
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?
Two concise sentences with no filler. The primary action is front-loaded, and the examples and count add useful context without bloating the description.
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 parameterless inventory endpoint, the description gives the agent everything necessary to invoke it and interpret the result: it returns 12 curated VICE sections, with examples and a note about listing-page links. The absence of an output schema is mitigated by the clear return description, though listing all 12 section names would have made it fully exhaustive.
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 has zero parameters and 100% schema description coverage, so the zero-parameter baseline of 4 applies. The description correctly adds no parameter semantics because there are no parameters to clarify.
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 clearly states the verb 'Get' and the resource 'VICE sections,' then specifies the return value: the site's own 12 curated sections, with examples and the fact that each links to its public listing page. This distinguishes it from sibling tools like vice_headlines, vice_news, and vice_article.
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 implies this is the tool to use when you need the section inventory rather than headlines, articles, or author data. It does not explicitly name alternative tools or state when not to use it, so it stops short of the highest guidance level.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.