Get Coupons

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full behavioral burden. It does disclose the most important trait — results are silently filtered to enabled, unexpired coupons unless overridden — but says nothing about pagination, the 50-item default limit, or the read-only safety profile (merely implied by 'List').

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 short, front-loaded sentences with no filler; the core purpose leads and the filtering default follows. Slightly terse rather than wasteful — nothing needs cutting.

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?

An output schema exists, so return values need no explanation, and the description covers the key default-filtering behavior for a three-parameter list tool. The gap is the unexplained limit/pagination behavior, which an agent iterating results would want.

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 0%, so the description must compensate. It clarifies the meaning of 'search' (by code or name) and indirectly explains 'include_disabled' via the default-filter sentence, but the 'limit' parameter and its default of 50 remain unexplained in both description and 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?

States a specific verb and resource ('List discount coupons') and adds scope detail ('with usage counts', 'Search by code or name'). It is clearly a read/list operation distinct from create_coupon and update_coupon siblings, though it does not name those alternatives explicitly.

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 line 'Default: enabled, unexpired coupons only' usefully signals the default scope an agent will get, which is implied guidance for when this tool suffices. However, it never states when to reach for a sibling (create_coupon/update_coupon/get_vouchers) or when to broaden the filter, so usage is only implied.

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