Update a record

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

With only readOnlyHint=false provided by annotations, the description carries a meaningful behavioral burden and does well: it discloses PATCH semantics, confirms omitted fields are retained, and warns that certain resources return a staged operation instead of writing. It does not cover permissions or reversibility, but it adds real behavioral facts beyond the annotations.

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 short and front-loaded with the key PATCH behavior. The first sentence duplicates the title, which costs a little, but every other sentence carries useful operational meaning without padding.

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?

The description covers core PATCH semantics and the staged-operation caveat, but it does not explain what a staged operation should be followed by, especially given the sibling productive_commit_operation. There is also no output schema and the description does not say what a normal update returns, and relationships remain undocumented. This leaves the agent needing to infer important follow-up behavior.

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 low at 25%, and the description does add value for the attributes parameter by explaining that omitted attributes keep their values. However, it gives no semantic guidance for resource, id, or relationships, and the custom_fields nesting behavior lives only in the schema, not the description.

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 states a clear action on a record and immediately clarifies PATCH semantics, which distinguishes it from read-only siblings like productive_get and productive_list. It is slightly repetitive with the title but unambiguous about the operation's purpose.

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?

The description gives useful context: partial updates preserve omitted attributes, so no full resend is needed, and financial/admin resources return staged operations instead of writing. However, it does not explicitly say when to choose this over productive_create, productive_delete, or productive_run_action, so usage versus alternatives is mostly implied.

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