Nova

Recent activity at home

recent_activity

Read-onlyIdempotent

Check doorbell events, logged medication doses, and caregiver check-ins from the past hours to confirm whether a parent opened the door or someone visited.

Instructions

Caregivers: 'When did Mom last open the door?', 'Has Grace been by?'. Front-door events (Ring: pulled fresh from the Ring Partner API when it's linked), doses she logged and check-ins.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "recent_activity"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`hours`	No	How far back

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Oct 24, 2026

TDQS

A3.7/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive). The description adds real behavioral context beyond that: front-door events come 'pulled fresh from the Ring Partner API when it's linked', disclosing an external dependency and a conditional data-availability condition, and it enumerates the other activity sources included.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two short sentences, front-loaded with the caregiver use case and then the data sources. The quoted questions consume a little space but efficiently convey intent; nothing is padded or redundant.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a one-parameter read-only tool with a full output schema and safety annotations, the description covers what data is returned and its provenance. It doesn't spell out the default 24-hour window, but the schema already does that.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the single 'hours' parameter is fully documented in the schema (default 24, max 168, 'How far back'). The description adds no meaning about the lookback window or its default, so baseline 3 is appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The quoted caregiver questions plus the enumerated contents (front-door events, logged doses, check-ins) make it clear this returns a recent-activity feed, and the content list distinguishes it from siblings like get_vitals or list_alerts. However, it never states a direct verb+resource (e.g. 'Returns recent activity') and leans on the examples to convey purpose.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines3/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The framing 'Caregivers: "When did Mom last open the door?"' implies when to reach for it — answering recent-event questions from a family caregiver — but there is no explicit when-not or naming of alternatives such as get_today or daily_checkin. Usage is inferred rather than stated.

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