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pause_working

Pause an open work session without ending it and record the reason—waiting on a human, another agent, or other—to track worked time accurately.

Instructions

Pause your open work session without ending it, and record WHY. Use this whenever work stops but is not finished — you asked the human a question, you are waiting on another agent, you are blocked on a build.

THE REASON IS THE POINT, and it decides the number: waiting_on_human — you are blocked on a person and CANNOT proceed. The paused interval is EXCLUDED from worked time. waiting_on_agent — you are blocked on another agent or an automated run that is itself active. The interval IS COUNTED as worked time: a sub-agent blocked on another active sub-agent is still working. other — anything else. Counted as worked.

Only waiting on the human is not working. Choose waiting_on_human ONLY when a person has to act before you can continue; if a machine or another agent is doing the work, it is waiting_on_agent.

Resume with resume_working. Do NOT use stop_working for a pause — that ends the session and the reason is lost.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
detailNoOptional free text: what specifically you are waiting on (e.g. "asked whether to merge PR #280").
reasonYesWhy work stopped. waiting_on_human EXCLUDES this interval from worked time; waiting_on_agent and other INCLUDE it. Required — there is no default, because the whole worked-time figure turns on this value.
task_idYesThe ID of the task whose session to pause

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Addedv2.2.0

TDQS

A4.8/5.0
Behavior5/5

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and delivers: it discloses that the session is not ended, that the reason value determines whether the interval counts as worked time, and that stop_working would lose the reason. This is exactly the behavioral context an agent needs to choose correctly.

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?

Front-loaded with the core action, then the reason taxonomy, then the resume/stop routing rule — a logical order. The all-caps emphasis and repeated worked-time explanation cost a little economy, but every block is load-bearing.

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

Completeness5/5

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

No output schema or annotations exist, so the description must stand alone — and it does: action, prerequisites, enum semantics, and the boundary against the two neighbouring session tools are all covered. An agent has everything needed to call it correctly.

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

Parameters4/5

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

Schema coverage is 100% so the baseline is 3, but the description goes beyond the schema by explaining the decision rule behind the reason enum (a sub-agent blocked on another active sub-agent is still 'working') and why there is no default. That is genuine added semantic value over the enum's own text.

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

Purpose5/5

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

States a specific verb+resource ('Pause your open work session without ending it') and immediately differentiates itself from stop_working, which it explicitly names. An agent can distinguish it from the three sibling working-session tools without opening any schema.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

Gives concrete when-to-use triggers ('you asked the human a question, waiting on another agent, blocked on a build'), names the correct follow-up tool (resume_working), and states an explicit when-NOT-to-use rule ('Do NOT use stop_working for a pause'). Nothing is left to inference.

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

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