Search Reddit

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

Annotations only declare readOnlyHint and openWorldHint; the description adds the material behavioral facts an agent needs — RSS feeds are rate-limited hard, calls are queued and spaced and can take a minute or more, and tools must be called one at a time. It also discloses result-quality behavior (loose matching, off-topic hits) that no structured field conveys.

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?

Front-loads the purpose, then behavior, then return fields, with no filler sentences. It is dense but each clause carries operational information; slightly compressed telegraphic style but nothing wasteful.

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?

With no output schema, the description compensates by listing the returned fields (title, URL, subreddit, author, date, text) and covers the two big operational risks of rate limiting and queuing. Nothing an agent needs to invoke this correctly appears to be missing.

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 80%, so the schema already documents query, time, limit and subreddit formats, making 3 the baseline. The description adds only the rationale for preferring the subreddit parameter (rate-limit avoidance) and no semantics for sort beyond what the enum implies.

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 ('Search Reddit posts by keyword') plus the scope ('across Reddit or inside one subreddit'), which is clear enough for an agent to act on. It does not explicitly distinguish itself from the siblings get_thread and browse_subreddit, both of which also operate on Reddit content, so it falls 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?

Gives real when-to-use guidance: prefer scoping to one subreddit because site-wide search is rate-limited more often, and warns that Reddit matching is loose so off-topic results are expected. It stops short of naming the alternative siblings (browse_subreddit, get_thread) or stating when this tool should not be used.

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