annotate-mcp
The annotate-mcp server provides a dedicated, persistent browser instance where a human can visually annotate any live web page with comment pins, freehand drawings, and eraser marks – with no integration needed on the target site. Annotations are injected into every page and cross‑origin frame, anchored to underlying DOM elements, and reflow with page changes. A waiting mechanism (annotate_wait) parks the agent until the human explicitly sends a batch of marks, enabling a seamless hand‑off. The agent can then retrieve, manage, and act on those annotations.
Open & Navigate Browser: Launch headed Chrome with a persistent profile, optionally navigate to a URL, and auto‑inject the annotation toolbar.
Create Annotations: Add comment pins, draw with a pencil, or erase directly on any page. Marks can be edited, moved, linked/unlinked, and are tracked as pending or sent.
Hand‑off via
annotate_wait: Park execution until the human presses “Send” – the agent receives the batch of annotations as the primary feedback mechanism.List Annotations: Retrieve a readable briefing of all marks grouped by page, filterable by status (open, sent, all) and URL path substring.
Re‑read Last Batch: Use
annotate_inboxto get the most recent sent batch without waiting.Screenshots: Capture the current page with annotations visible (toolbar hidden), optionally cropping around a specific mark or capturing the full scrollable page.
Resolve Marks: Mark annotations as done (
annotate_resolve) – they dim on the page to show what was handled.Clear Marks: Delete specific marks or clear all marks permanently.
Close Browser: Shut down the annotation browser while preserving all marks and profile on disk for persistence.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@annotate-mcpOpen the browser so I can annotate the staging site."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
annotate-mcp
Draw on a live page, and your coding agent reads what you drew.

The overlay, the marks, and the hand-off are the tool itself. The code change at the end stands in for the agent's edit.
An MCP server that opens a real browser and injects a comment/pencil overlay into every page it loads: your app, a staging deploy, someone else's site. You mark things up like a PDF annotation layer; the agent gets back your note plus the DOM elements it lands on.
It is project-agnostic by construction. Nothing is installed into the app under review: no component, no route, no dev-server dependency, no framework assumption.
Why it can be agnostic
Two Playwright primitives:
addInitScriptinjectssrc/overlay.jsinto every page and frame before any page script runs, for the life of the browser context. Navigation, reloads, and cross-origin hops all keep the overlay.exposeBindinggives that injected script a real function into Node, so marks round-trip to the server instead of being trapped in page memory.
State lives in Node, not the page. The overlay is a pure view: on load it asks the
server for the marks, on every change it pushes them back. That inversion is what makes
a mark left on /dashboard still exist after you navigate to /settings, reload, or
close the tab, none of which localStorage would survive cleanly across origins.
Related MCP server: vibe-annotations
Quick start
Clone it anywhere; it does not have to live inside the project you are reviewing:
git clone <this-repo> annotate-mcp
cd annotate-mcp
npm install # builds automatically via `prepare`; pnpm and bun work tooThen point your MCP client at dist/index.js. For Claude Code, add it to the project
you want to annotate: .mcp.json in that project's root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"annotate": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/annotate-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"timeout": 28800000
}
}
}Restart the session, accept the "new MCP server" prompt, and ask the agent to open the browser. Full per-client instructions, including one-line install and where marks are stored: docs/INSTALL.md.
Uses your installed Google Chrome by default (familiar browser, no 150MB download), falling back to Playwright's bundled Chromium. The profile is persistent, so logins survive between sessions; you need to be signed in to review the flows worth reviewing.
Using it
Ask the agent to open the browser, then mark things up. Toolbar starts bottom-right; drag it anywhere by the grip on its left edge and it stays there, per browser.
grip | move the toolbar: the panel opens away from whichever edge you park it on |
comment | click anywhere to pin a note |
pencil | drag to draw; the note box opens automatically, so the text is linked to that drawing with no tool swap |
erase | click a single pin or line to delete just that one |
clear all | press twice to confirm |
| review panel: unsent marks here + elsewhere; everything ticked by default, untick to exclude, then Send |
Esc backs out one level at a time: open note → unlinking → linking mode → active tool → panel.
Without it you can get stuck in comment mode unable to click the page underneath.
Working with existing marks
Click a pin or a drawing to reopen its note: edit the text, or delete it from there. Clicking never stacks a second comment on top of the first, and it works whichever tool is in hand, including the pencil you just drew with.
Drag a pin to move it. It re-resolves what it points at on drop, so a moved pin cites the element it landed on and not the one it left.
Link (chain icon in the note box) makes one comment cover several places: press it, then click another mark to pull it in, click empty page to drop a new linked pin, or draw to add a linked drawing. Comments and drawings link to each other freely; a group can be any mix. Linked marks share one text (editing any of them rewrites all of them) and are joined on screen by a dashed thread. Press Done or
Escto leave linking mode.Unlink: the eraser in the link banner. It appears once a group exists, and clicking a member takes it out while leaving the mark, its text, and the rest of the group alone. It erases links and nothing else; the toolbar eraser is the one that deletes marks. Take the second-to-last member out and the group dissolves on its own, since one mark is not a link.
Sent vs pending
The panel has two tabs. Send moves a mark from To send into Sent, where it is dimmed and cannot be sent again; a queue that never shrinks stops telling you what is outstanding. The ink stays on the page as a record; the eye toggle in the Sent tab takes it off the page entirely when the archive starts covering the app you are still reviewing.
Editing a sent mark's text is the one way back: rewriting it makes it new information, so it rejoins the queue.
Reflow
Marks are anchored to the element they land on, as a fraction of that element's box. Resize the window and the ink follows its component: pins are repositioned, drawings are translated without being stretched, and the stored coordinates are rewritten so the agent, the screenshot crop, and the screen never disagree.
If the element is not rendered at the new size (a nav that collapsed, a card dropped from the layout), its mark is deliberately left where it was rather than dragged somewhere arbitrary, and drawn hollow/dashed so it reads as "this is about something not on screen" instead of silently labelling whatever slid underneath.
Tools
tool | what it does |
| launch/focus the browser, optionally navigate |
| block until you press Send, then return that batch (the main hand-off) |
| all marks as a briefing, filterable by status/path |
| re-read the most recent sent batch |
| screenshot with ink visible, toolbar hidden; |
| mark items done; they dim on the page so you can see what was handled |
| delete marks |
| close the browser (marks are kept on disk) |
The hand-off, and the three states of Send
An MCP server answers calls; it cannot start a turn in an agent's session. So a send only
reaches the agent on its own while something is parked in annotate_wait.
annotate_wait parks for an hour by default (max 8h). Parking is free (a blocked call
spends no tokens), and on clients that background long calls it doesn't block the agent
either: Claude Code moves any MCP call still running after two minutes into a background
task, so it keeps working and the batch arrives as a task notification the moment you press
Send. Long parks are kept alive with progress pings, because a client will abort an stdio
call that has been silent too long: 30 minutes, in Claude Code's case.
Two ceilings are worth knowing:
| hard wall-clock per call. Set to 8h here. Also floors the idle timeout |
| the same limit as an env var; defaults to ~28h when unset |
Nothing sent is ever lost. A send with nobody parked is held, and the next park collects it immediately instead of waiting for a fresh one, so the gap between an agent taking one batch and parking again costs a delay, not your feedback.
That leaves three states, and the panel says which one you are in, but only when it is not the obvious one:
state | what Send does | what the panel says |
live: an agent is parked | starts work immediately | nothing |
busy: it took a batch and hasn't come back | queued; collected when it parks again | "The agent is working on your last batch" |
asleep: nothing listening | held on disk | "The agent is asleep; these are saved, then send its session any message…" |
No copy anywhere names a model or vendor: the panel says "the agent", so the tool reads the same whichever assistant is on the other end of the MCP connection. Falling asleep while you are working raises a one-off notice, since that is the moment the button quietly changes meaning. Loading a page with nothing listening does not; that is ordinary, and the line under Send already covers it.
What a mark carries
The note is what gets acted on; the DOM capture is how it gets found in source.
### 1. drawing
> currency should come first
- **where:** stroke over 30,369 → 160×30 (document coords)
- **viewport:** 782×495 @1x, tablet/laptop
- **url:** http://localhost:3003/checkout
- **id:** `m_k3x9`
- **elements under the drawing** (most specific first):
- testid=`price-badge` · name="€25.00"
- selector: `[data-testid="price-badge"]`
- box: 40,379 140×38A pin records the element clicked plus three ancestors. A stroke hit-tests a grid across its bounding box, so "I circled these three cards" survives as structured data rather than only as pixels; that is what makes a drawing actionable instead of merely suggestive.
Deliberately not captured: a file:line source mapping. React 19 dropped _debugSource
from fibers and Next 16 is on SWC, so that needs a build-plugin dependency in every project,
which would destroy the agnosticism. testid plus visible text finds the component in one
grep.
Output
Written to <cwd>/.annotations/ (override with ANNOTATE_DIR):
store.json: canonical state, reloaded on restartannotations.md: every mark, rewritten on changeinbox.md: only the batch you last sent. The separation is the point: one file is everything ever marked, the other is what you're asking about right now.
Environment
var | default | |
|
| where marks are stored |
|
| persistent browser profile |
|
| Playwright channel; unset-able to force bundled Chromium |
|
|
|
Tests
pnpm build && pnpm testtest/smoke.mjs drives the real overlay in a real browser with real clicks and drags. It
covers what typechecking cannot: injection ordering, the Node↔page binding, stroke
hit-testing, mark survival across a full page load, selective send, the eraser, reopening
and editing a mark, pin dragging, linking and unlinking across kinds, linked notes staying
in step, ink surviving the note box, the sent/pending split, and marks following their
element through a reflow.
Known limits
One browser. You annotate in the window this server opens, not your everyday Chrome.
No interaction tools. The server navigates (
annotate_open) and screenshots, but exposes no click/type/hover; a human drives this window. If you want the agent to drive the app too, that is the Playwright MCP's job, or add the tools here; the Playwrightpageis already in hand.Iframes are skipped. The overlay mounts only in the top frame; otherwise a page with three iframes gets four toolbars.
Re-anchoring resolves a selector. Short CSS paths can match more than one element, so a mark on a generic
div > buttonmay re-anchor to the wrong sibling after a reflow. Marks on anything carrying atestidoridare exact.Only pins can be dragged. A drawing's position follows its element on reflow, but there is no handle to move the ink by hand; erase and redraw.
Contributing
Bug reports: yes, please. Especially "the overlay broke on this site": the injected script has to survive whatever CSS and JS the host page throws at it, and the failures worth knowing about are on pages I will never think to test.
Pull requests: not by default. This is a small tool with a specific shape, and most of it is one injected script that cannot import anything, cannot ship a stylesheet, and has to work inside a stranger's cascade, constraints that are invisible until you have been bitten by them. Fork it and make it yours; that is what the licence is for. If you have something you think genuinely belongs upstream, open an issue first and we can talk.
License
MIT © Nikolaos Psycharis
Available Tools
8 toolsannotate_clearA
Delete marks permanently. With no ids, deletes everything.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| ids | No | Specific mark ids. Omit to clear all. |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are provided, so the description must bear the full burden. It discloses permanence ('permanently') and the dangerous bulk behavior ('with no ids, deletes everything'), which is critical for a delete operation. It does not mention auth or undo, but the key risks are covered.
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 fluff. The first sentence states the action, and the second clarifies the critical edge case. Excellent front-loading.
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?
Given the tool's simplicity (one optional param, no output schema), the description fully covers its purpose, behavior, and the critical default case. No missing information that would impede correct invocation.
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 single 'ids' parameter is already fully described in the schema ('Specific mark ids. Omit to clear all.'), so schema coverage is 100%. The tool description adds no extra parameter semantics beyond what the schema provides, so baseline 3 applies.
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 uses a specific verb ('Delete') and resource ('marks'), and clearly distinguishes behavior when ids are provided versus omitted. This differentiates it from sibling tools like annotate_list or annotate_resolve.
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?
It provides clear context on how to use the tool: provide ids for specific marks, omit ids to clear all. It does not explicitly name alternatives or exclusions, but the parameter guidance is sufficient for typical use.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_closeA
Close the annotation browser. Marks are kept on disk.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No parameters | |||
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are provided, so the description must carry the behavioral transparency burden. It does disclose an important side-effect: 'Marks are kept on disk,' which assures persistence. However, it does not mention idempotency, whether all browser instances are closed, or any other behavioral traits. The single guarantee is useful but leaves gaps.
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 exceptionally concise: two short sentences, each providing distinct value. 'Close the annotation browser' states the action, and 'Marks are kept on disk' clarifies a key behavioral guarantee. There is zero irrelevant content.
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 simple no-parameter tool with no annotations and no output schema, the description covers the essential purpose and a critical side-effect. It could be improved with a note about idempotency or what happens if already closed, but the core context is sufficiently provided.
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 the schema already covers this (100% coverage trivially). The description adds no parameter information, but none is needed. Per rubric, zero parameters yields a baseline of 4.
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 a specific action with a specific resource: 'Close the annotation browser.' This distinguishes it from sibling tools like annotate_open and annotate_clear. The purpose is immediately obvious and unambiguous.
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?
There is no explicit guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives. It implies closure after annotation work, but does not provide context, exclusions, or mention of sibling tools. The description does not help an agent decide between this and, say, annotate_clear.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_inboxA
Re-read the most recent Send batch without waiting. Useful if the conversation moved on and you need the original request again.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No parameters | |||
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden. It discloses a non-blocking read operation ('without waiting', 're-read'), which implies no mutation. It doesn't describe return values or edge cases, but for a zero-parameter read tool, this is adequate.
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 first states the action and a key behavioral trait, the second gives the when-to-use context. Every word earns its place.
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 simple read-only tool with no parameters and no output schema, the description covers purpose, usage, and timing. It doesn't define 'Send batch' or return format, but the explanatory clause and non-waiting hint make it reasonably complete.
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?
There are zero parameters and the schema coverage is 100%, so the description doesn't need to explain inputs. Baseline 4 applies.
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 a specific verb ('re-read') and resource ('most recent Send batch'), and adds an explanatory clause about its use case. It distinguishes itself from sibling tools by focusing on the inbox rather than screenshots or resolution, though the term 'Send batch' is left undefined.
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?
It provides a concrete scenario ('if the conversation moved on and you need the original request again') and highlights the non-waiting behavior, implying this is faster than waiting. It doesn't explicitly name alternatives, but the context is clear enough to guide selection.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_listA
List annotation marks as a readable briefing, grouped by page. Use this to check what is pending without waiting for a send.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| status | No | Filter by status. Default "all". | |
| pathFilter | No | Only marks whose URL path contains this substring. |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations, the description carries the burden of disclosing behavior. It reveals that output is a 'readable briefing, grouped by page' and implies non-blocking behavior ('without waiting for a send'). However, it does not explicitly state that it is read-only or describe any side effects, permissions, or pagination behavior. This is adequate but not rich.
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 exactly two sentences, each serving a distinct purpose: the first states what the tool does, and the second advises when to use it. No wasted words, and the key information is front-loaded.
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?
Given the simplicity of the tool (2 optional params, no output schema), the description covers the essential purpose, usage, and some output characteristics. It could be more specific about the return format or filtering semantics, but for a list tool with good schema coverage, it is reasonably complete.
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 already has 100% coverage with meaningful descriptions for both 'status' and 'pathFilter'. The description adds no additional meaning beyond what the schema provides, so the baseline score of 3 is appropriate.
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 'List annotation marks as a readable briefing, grouped by page,' which is a specific verb+resource+output format. It distinguishes itself from sibling tools like annotate_inbox or annotate_resolve by focusing on the listing operation. Purpose is unambiguous.
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?
It provides an explicit use case: 'Use this to check what is pending without waiting for a send.' This gives clear guidance on when to invoke it, distinguishing it from tools that send or resolve annotations. However, it does not explicitly mention when not to use it or name alternative tools, so it stops short of a perfect score.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_openA
Open the annotation browser (headed Chrome, persistent profile) and optionally navigate to a URL. The comment/pencil toolbar is injected into every page automatically. Call this first; the human then browses and marks up pages themselves. ALWAYS follow this with annotate_wait in the same turn — the human expects pressing Send to reach you, and it only does while something is parked.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| url | No | URL to navigate to, e.g. http://localhost:3003 |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden. It discloses key behavioral traits: headed Chrome, persistent profile, automatic toolbar injection, optional URL navigation, and the requirement to follow with annotate_wait. It also explains the 'parked' mechanism, adding valuable context beyond the schema.
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 three tight sentences, front-loaded with the core action. The additional sentences explain the injected toolbar and the mandatory follow-up with annotate_wait, each earning its place. No fluff or redundancy.
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?
Given the tool's nature (opening a browser for human interaction), the description covers the essential aspects: what it does, sequence constraints, and why the wait is necessary. It doesn't need to explain return values since there's no output schema. The description provides enough context for correct invocation.
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?
Schema coverage is 100% for the single parameter 'url', so the schema already documents its meaning. The description only says 'optionally navigate to a URL', which adds no new information beyond what the schema provides. Baseline 3 is appropriate.
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 tool opens the annotation browser (headed Chrome, persistent profile) and optionally navigates to a URL. The verb 'Open' is specific, and the resource and behavior distinguish it from sibling tools like annotate_inbox or annotate_screenshot.
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?
Explicit guidance is given: 'Call this first' and 'ALWAYS follow this with annotate_wait in the same turn'. It explains why this ordering is necessary (human expects Send to reach you only while something is parked), providing clear when-to-use vs. alternatives.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_resolveA
Mark items as done once you have acted on them. They stay visible on the page but dim, so the human can see what you handled.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| ids | Yes | Mark ids to resolve. |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. It explicitly states a key side effect: 'They stay visible on the page but dim' and explains the rationale ('so the human can see what you handled'). This goes beyond a simple state change and helps the agent anticipate the visual outcome. It does not cover reversibility or error behavior, but that is acceptable for a simple tool.
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 two sentences, front-loaded with the action, and the second sentence adds a valuable behavioral note about visibility and dimming. There is no wasted verbiage; every word earns its place, making it highly concise and well-structured.
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 simple tool with one parameter and no output schema, the description is complete. It explains what the tool does, when to use it, and the visible after-effect. The input schema fully documents the parameter, and sibling tool context implies a family of annotate operations. No critical information is missing for an agent to invoke this correctly.
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 covers the only parameter 'ids' with description 'Mark ids to resolve.' The tool description adds some conceptual context by referring to 'items' and 'acted on them,' but it doesn't provide additional detail beyond what the schema already states. Since schema coverage is 100%, a baseline of 3 is appropriate; the description does not need to compensate.
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 uses a specific verb+object structure: 'Mark items as done' clearly states the action and target. It distinguishes itself from sibling tools like annotate_clear (which likely removes annotations) by focusing on a 'done' state, and the phrase 'once you have acted on them' ties it to a workflow step.
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 clear contextual guidance: use after acting on an item ('once you have acted on them'). It does not explicitly mention alternatives or when not to use it, but the context is sufficiently clear for an agent to decide when to invoke it. It implies a sequential workflow without naming sibling exclusion cases.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_screenshotA
Screenshot the current page with the drawings visible but the toolbar hidden. Pass a markId to crop tightly around that mark — the fastest way to see what a squiggle actually meant.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| markId | No | Crop around this mark (id from annotate_list). | |
| fullPage | No | Capture the whole scrollable page. |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations provided, the description carries the burden of disclosure. It effectively communicates the capture behavior (toolbar hidden, drawings visible, optional crop) but does not describe the output format (e.g., image data or path) or any side effects, which are relevant for a tool without an output schema.
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 a compact two sentences, front-loaded with the primary action and followed by a clear optional modifier. Every clause serves a purpose, and there is no redundant or filler content.
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 tool with two optional parameters and no output schema, the description covers the main behavior and the crop option. However, it does not clarify the interaction between markId and fullPage (e.g., precedence if both are provided) or what the screenshot output actually is, leaving minor gaps.
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?
Schema description coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3. The description adds modest context for markId (its purpose for inspecting a squiggle) but adds nothing for fullPage beyond what the schema states. It does not need to compensate since the schema is complete.
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 uses a specific verb + resource ('Screenshot the current page') and adds unique capabilities ('drawings visible but the toolbar hidden', 'crop tightly around that mark'). This clearly distinguishes it from sibling tools like annotate_list or annotate_resolve.
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 statement 'the fastest way to see what a squiggle actually meant' provides clear context for when to use the tool, and the markId parameter implies a use case. However, it does not explicitly mention alternatives or say when not to use it.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
annotate_waitA
Park until the human presses Send in the review panel, then return that batch. This is the main hand-off and the ONLY way a send reaches you on its own — an MCP server cannot start a turn, so with nobody parked a send just sits in the store until someone asks for it. Call this immediately after annotate_open and again after handling each batch. It is cheap to park: some clients (Claude Code) move a call still running after two minutes to a background task, so you keep working and the batch arrives as a task notification. The overlay shows the human a live indicator of whether anyone is parked.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| timeoutSeconds | No | How long to park before giving up. Default 3600 (1h), max 28800 (8h). Parking is free — no tokens are spent while blocked — so prefer the default over short waits. Long parks are kept alive with progress pings; the ceiling is the per-server `timeout` in .mcp.json. |
TDQS
Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
With no annotations, the description fully discloses behavior: parking is free and token-free, clients may background the call after two minutes, long parks are kept alive with pings, there is a per-server timeout ceiling, and the overlay shows a live indicator. This goes far beyond minimal disclosure.
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 a compact paragraph where every sentence earns its place: purpose, rationale, usage timing, client behavior, and UI feedback. It is front-loaded with the core purpose and contains no filler or redundancy.
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?
Given the tool's interactive waiting nature, the description covers what happens when no one is parked, what the caller experiences (background task), how long waits are kept alive, and what the human sees. It provides the necessary operational context despite no output schema or annotations.
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 schema already provides 100% coverage for the single timeoutSeconds parameter with rich detail on defaults, max, and behavior. The description itself adds no new parametric meaning beyond restating that parking is cheap. Baseline 3 is appropriate since the schema carries the full burden.
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 opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Park until the human presses Send in the review panel, then return that batch.' It clearly states the tool's core function and distinguishes it from siblings by calling it 'the main hand-off' and 'the ONLY way a send reaches you on its own.'
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?
Explicit when-to-use guidance is provided: 'Call this immediately after annotate_open and again after handling each batch.' It also explains why this tool is necessary (MCP server cannot start a turn) and why alternatives won't work, giving clear contextual exclusions.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.
Tool Schema Changelog
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
8 tool updates
v0.1.0- First observed
annotate_clear - First observed
annotate_close - First observed
annotate_inbox - First observed
annotate_list - First observed
annotate_open - First observed
annotate_resolve - First observed
annotate_screenshot - First observed
annotate_wait
TDQS
Scored across 8 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: open/close manage the browser lifecycle, wait/inbox handle batch retrieval, screenshot provides visual context, and list/resolve/clear manage marks. No two tools overlap in functionality.
All tools share the 'annotate_' prefix and use lowercase snake_case exclusively. While the suffix varies between nouns and verbs, the pattern is uniform and predictable, making the API easy to navigate.
With 8 tools, the server is well-scoped for its annotation browsing purpose. Each tool covers a distinct operation without redundancy or bloat.
The tool surface covers the full lifecycle: opening/closing the browser, waiting for human input, retrieving and reviewing annotations, resolving or deleting marks, and capturing screenshots. No critical operations are missing for the stated domain.
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