What is in the knowledge base

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

Annotations already establish that this is read-only, idempotent, and non-destructive. The description adds meaningful behavioral context by detailing the catalogue contents and emphasizing that it is a discovery/mapping tool rather than a targeted search tool. No contradiction with annotations exists.

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 concise and front-loaded with the essential label 'The catalogue'. It packs a lot of useful specifics into two sentences without excessive verbosity, although the phrasing is slightly list-heavy.

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, read-only overview tool, the description fully explains both return content and usage context. The presence of an output schema also reduces the burden of describing return structures. 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?

This tool takes zero parameters, so there are no parameter semantics to document. The description also does not need to compensate for schema gaps because there are no parameters.

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 identifies this as 'The catalogue' and enumerates precisely what it provides: collections, document counts, folder paths, graph totals, tags, and licences. It positions itself as the map to every other tool, distinguishing it from the specific data-fetching siblings.

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 gives explicit situational guidance: 'Call this first if you do not know what the knowledge base holds'. This tells the agent exactly when to use it, and referring to it as the map to every other tool implies it is the entry point before others.

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