Merchants List Merchants

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint, and destructiveHint=false, covering the safety profile. The description adds no behavioral detail beyond the word 'List'—for example, whether all merchants are returned, how pagination works, or that results may change over time.

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, but it is under-specified rather than concise in a useful way. One sentence with no qualifying or routing information does not earn its place as a complete tool description.

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 six optional parameters, no output schema, and sibling tools for singular merchant operations, the description is incomplete. It does not explain return shape, pagination, filtering, or when to prefer this over merchants_get_merchant, so an agent must rely on the schema and defaults.

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 only 33% (fields and output_mode), leaving sort, limit, offset, and search undocumented. The description provides no parameter guidance to compensate, so an agent gets little help selecting or formatting the four undocumented 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 'List merchants' states a clear verb and resource, making the basic purpose obvious and distinguishing it from merchants_get_merchant/update/delete. However, it provides no scope (all merchants, filtered, paginated) and simply restates the title, so it is clear but not richly differentiating.

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?

There is no guidance on when to use this list operation versus merchants_get_merchant, or how the search parameter relates to finding a specific merchant. No alternatives or exclusions are mentioned, so the agent must infer usage from the sibling names.

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