retrieve_role_list

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint and destructiveHint=false, so the safety profile is fully covered externally. The description adds useful domain context (a role grants permissions on API endpoints and resources like compute) and the underlying endpoint, but stays silent on result pagination behavior despite page/size parameters existing.

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 short sentences with the verb and endpoint front-loaded and no wasted clauses. There is minor redundancy between the title-like "List roles" and "List and filter all your roles," but it costs almost nothing.

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 read-only, fully schema-documented list tool with no output schema, the description covers what it returns at a conceptual level. It omits anything about pagination defaults or result ordering, which are the practical questions an agent calling an 8-parameter list endpoint would have.

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% and each of the 8 optional parameters is documented in the schema, so the baseline applies. The description only generically signals that filtering exists and does not clarify semantics such as how 'type' or 'orderBy' interact with the filter set.

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 states a specific verb and resource ("List roles", GET /v1/roles) and adds that filtering is supported, so it is clearly the collection-level counterpart to the sibling retrieve_role. It never names retrieve_role or retrieve_role_audits_list explicitly, so the differentiation is implied by the plural rather than spelled out.

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?

"List and filter all your roles" implies when to reach for it (browsing/discovery rather than fetching one role), and the optional name/type/apiName/tagName filters hint at the narrowing use cases. There is no explicit when-not guidance and no pointer to retrieve_role or the audits-list sibling for the adjacent needs.

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