List recent boards

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

Annotations already cover the safety profile, yet the description adds substantial new behavior: newest-first ordering, tree-wide scope, inclusion of shared boards, Home/Quick notes appearing like any other board, and the specific contents returned (last-opened time, open count). The exclusion rule for never-opened boards is the kind of caveat an agent can only get here.

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 sentences, front-loaded with the core definition and ending on the sibling contrast, so the important routing information is not buried. The search-box analogy is slightly decorative but does real work in conveying the list's nature.

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?

With no output schema, the description usefully enumerates what each entry carries (last-opened timestamp, open count) and what is excluded. Only the truncation/pagination behavior implied by 'limit' is left unexplained, a minor gap for a read-only listing tool.

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% and the single 'limit' parameter (1-50, default 20) is fully documented in the schema. The description says nothing about limiting or result size, so it adds no meaning beyond the schema — baseline 3.

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 ('Boards you opened lately') with scope ('wherever they sit in your board tree') and ordering ('newest first'). It is immediately distinguishable from list_boards, which is named and characterized as the tree-walking alternative.

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?

Explicitly frames itself as 'the list behind Milanote's search box before you type' and carves out the exclusion ('Boards you have not opened since they were made are missing'), then routes to list_boards. No guidance on choosing it over search_boards, which is the closest sibling, so it stops short of 5.

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