System Get Finder Settings

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

The annotations already declare readOnlyHint and idempotentHint, so the safety profile is established. However, the description adds no behavioral context beyond that—no scope, no permission considerations, no mention of what an agent should expect or watch out for.

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 short, but it is short because it lacks substance, not because it is efficiently written. Boilerplate phrases like 'Delegated Apple domain tool' and 'exposed through Apple-Tools-MCP' fill space without informing the agent.

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?

Invocation complexity is very low: there are no parameters, annotations mark the operation as read-only and idempotent, and an output schema exists. Still, the description fails to clarify what 'Finder settings' encompasses or how this fits with related settings tools, leaving the agent to rely purely on the tool name.

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 coverage is 100%, so there is no parameter documentation burden for the description to carry. The baseline of 4 for zero-parameter tools 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 only restates the tool name and platform wrapper ('Delegated Apple domain tool system_get_finder_settings exposed through Apple-Tools-MCP') without saying what Finder settings are retrieved or what the tool actually does. It also does nothing to distinguish it from sibling getters such as system_get_appearance_settings or system_get_dock_settings.

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?

No guidance is given about when to call this tool versus other system getters, settings snapshot tools, or sibling Apple-domain tools. The only context is platform exposure, which is irrelevant for tool selection.

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