Record Glossary Term

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

Adds meaningful behavior beyond the annotations: a duplicate/similar gate returns the existing near-identical term instead of writing, and advises reconciliation via update. This complements idempotentHint=true with concrete mechanism, though it doesn't state what a successful write returns.

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?

Front-loads the core action and field list, then explains the duplicate gate and provenance in a compact follow-up. Dense but each clause carries information; no padding.

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 write tool with full annotation and schema coverage, the description covers the duplicate-gate behavior and authoring workflow, which are the non-obvious aspects. Only the success return value is unaddressed, which is minor given no output schema exists.

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 all five parameters are documented in the schema. The description only restates field purposes (canonical name, definition, aliases, project scope) without adding syntax or format detail beyond the schema, 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?

States a specific verb (record) and resource (glossary term) and enumerates the content fields, so it is clearly distinguishable from term_search, term_list, and term_delete among the 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?

Gives clear usage context: authored by the agent as it learns domain vocabulary, or in bulk via the extract-terminology skill. It also explains what to do when a near-identical term exists (reconcile by updating that term), though it does not explicitly name the sibling update/search tool to use.

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