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Metis · News Radar — Scan News

scan_news

Fetches journalism, outbreak surveillance, science, and humanitarian news feeds, then adds new items to the News surface while deduplicating by URL so repeated scans are safe.

Instructions

Fetch the news feeds and add new items to the News surface.

Scans journalism only — outbreak surveillance (ECDC threats report, WHO AFRO,
PAHO), science reporting (ScienceDaily, Guardian Science, STAT, Nature news,
The Conversation Africa), humanitarian and disaster feeds (GDACS, ReliefWeb,
OCHA), Africa desks and policy sources. Journal tables-of-contents are NOT
scanned here: the primary literature is the Library's job, via
`scan_library`. Deduplicates by URL, so running it repeatedly is safe.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`result`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Jun 8, 2026

TDQS

A4.3/5.0

Behavior3/5

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full behavioral burden. It usefully discloses URL-based deduplication and that repeated runs are safe, but it does not describe permission/network requirements, failure behavior, or rate limits, leaving meaningful behavioral gaps.

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?

The description is front-loaded with the action and scope, then lists sources and the sibling exclusion. The source enumeration is somewhat long but relevant to scope, so it earns most of its space without becoming disorganized.

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

Completeness4/5

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

Given the zero-parameter schema and the existence of an output schema, the description provides enough context to select and invoke the tool: scope, sibling exclusion, and dedupe safety. It could be slightly more complete around operational behavior, but the core invocation context is present.

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?

The tool has zero parameters, so there are no parameter names or formats to clarify. The schema is empty and 100% covered, making the baseline score appropriate.

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?

The description uses a specific verb-resource pairing ('Fetch the news feeds and add new items') and clearly defines the scan scope as journalism only. It also distinguishes this tool from `scan_library` by explicitly excluding journal tables-of-contents, so an agent can differentiate it from a nearby sibling.

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?

It states the categories this tool covers and explicitly says journal tables-of-contents are NOT scanned here, directing that use case to `scan_library`. This is a clear when-to-use and when-not-to-use signal with a named alternative.

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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