get_announcements

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

With no annotations, the description must carry the behavioral burden; it does disclose the full-body return format and the academic-year aggregation scope, which are genuine traits. It omits authorization needs, result limits/pagination, and ordering, so disclosure is partial rather than 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?

Two tight sentences with the primary behavior front-loaded and the fallback scope immediately after; no filler. The trailing Activity Feed caveat is slightly tangential but still earns its place as a disambiguation.

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 2-param, no-annotation, no-output-schema tool, the description covers return payload and default scope but leaves the 'since' filter and any limits unaddressed. It is adequate but leaves an agent guessing on one whole parameter.

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 0% and only 'course' is addressed (absence triggers cross-course aggregation). The 'since' parameter is never mentioned, so its format (date? ISO? relative?) is left entirely to guesswork, leaving one of two parameters undocumented.

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 and resource ('Return actual course announcements') plus the payload ('full body text/HTML'), which separates it from sibling summary-style tools like get_updates or get_snapshot. It does not name a sibling explicitly, so it stops short of a 5.

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?

Explains the default behavior when 'course' is omitted (aggregate News across current academic-year courses) and disambiguates from Brightspace's Activity Feed, which is a useful routing hint. However it never states when to prefer this over get_updates/get_discussions or when aggregation is inappropriate.

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