get-block-children

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

Discloses pagination and reduced token usage with markdown, but lacks details on rate limits, error handling, or behavior when block_id is invalid. With no annotations, the description carries full behavioral burden and misses several traits.

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?

Three concise sentences: purpose, pagination note, format recommendation. No fluff, well front-loaded.

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?

Covers pagination and format, but fails to mention the expensive recursive fetch_nested behavior (only noted in schema). No output schema means description could explain response structure. For 5 parameters, more completeness is needed.

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%, baseline 3. The description adds value by highlighting that markdown format reduces token usage and that pagination is supported, which reinforces the start_cursor and page_size parameters. Somewhat informative beyond the schema.

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 clearly states the tool retrieves children blocks of a block or page, with specific verb and resource. It distinguishes from siblings like 'retrieve-block' which gets a single block, and 'append-block-children' which adds children.

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?

Provides some guidance on using format='markdown' for token efficiency, but no explicit when-to-use vs alternatives or when-not-to-use. For a read tool, more context on when to prefer this over other retrieval tools would improve.

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