Taobao Search

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

Beyond the annotations, it discloses a genuinely rich behavioral profile: price_cny is None when hidden and never 0, challenge_required/CAPTCHA walls require browser action and a retry, TransportDownError and ParserDriftError diagnoses, and the important guarantee that challenge pages are never cached as successful results.

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-loaded one-line purpose followed by clearly headed Return/Error sections; every line carries information. Slightly longer than strictly necessary, but the structure keeps it scannable.

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?

Given a browser-driven scrape with real failure modes, the description covers the return shape, the price-null convention, and the three error classes with remedies. An agent has everything needed to call it and interpret results and failures.

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 100%, so both query and page are fully documented in the schema itself. The description adds no query syntax or paging semantics beyond what the schema already provides, so the baseline 3 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?

States a specific verb (search) and resource (Taobao listings) plus a distinguishing implementation note (rendered in the operator's Chrome). This cleanly differentiates it from the many sibling marketplace search tools like aliexpress_search and wb_search.

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?

Usage is implied by the marketplace scope and the Chrome-rendering note, and the error section implies a browser session is required. However, it never explicitly says when to prefer this over sibling searches or what prerequisites (a logged-in scraping profile) are needed before the first call.

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