Purchase create intent

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

The description discloses important side effects: stock reservation, price/VAT/shipping snapshot, delegation policy consultation, intent expiry, and the postage implications of creating multiple intents. This goes well beyond the annotations, which only indicate non-read-only and non-idempotent behavior.

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?

The description is focused and front-loaded with the primary purpose. The additional sentences about expiry and combined postage are relevant and necessary for correct usage, with no redundant or filler content.

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 tool with no output schema, the description adequately explains what the caller receives (an intent id), the temporal validity, side effects, and a key behavioral warning. This is sufficient context for an agent to invoke the tool correctly.

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?

The input schema already provides detailed descriptions for all four parameters and covers 100% of them. The description does not add significant parameter-specific meaning beyond the schema, so it stays at the baseline for schema-covered parameters.

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 verb and resource: 'Create a purchase intent for a product.' It also distinguishes this tool from related siblings like purchase_confirm_intent and purchase_cancel_intent by focusing on the creation step and returning an intent id.

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?

It provides clear operational context: reserves stock, snapshots pricing, consults delegation policy, expires after 15 minutes, and includes combined postage guidance. It does not explicitly say 'use this instead of confirm/cancel' but the lifecycle details make the intended usage obvious.

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