sales_reports_download

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full load and does disclose real mechanics an agent could not guess: it wraps GET /v1/salesReports, decodes the gzip payload, and optionally parses the TSV into rows (explaining the effect of `parse`). It omits auth requirements and error/failure behavior, which keeps it short of a 5.

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 tight sentences with the core action front-loaded, then mechanism, then the reference link. Nothing is padded or repeated from the schema.

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?

No output schema and no annotations, so the description has to cover return shape and behavior — it does describe the TSV/parsed-rows return and gzip decoding. But for a 7-parameter tool with zero schema descriptions, the absence of any parameter semantics leaves a meaningful gap.

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% across 7 parameters, so the description must compensate — but it only refers the reader to an external Apple doc for filter values. It explains `parse` implicitly, yet gives no meaning for filter_frequency, filter_reportType, filter_reportSubType, filter_vendorNumber, filter_reportDate, or filter_version beyond their names.

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?

Specific verb and resource: 'Download a sales report and return its parsed TSV contents,' plus the underlying endpoint. It clearly reads as a report-file fetch rather than a metadata collection, but it never names the close siblings (sales_reports_get_collection, finance_reports_download) to draw the boundary 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?

Usage is only implied: the tool downloads report contents, so an agent can infer it is for retrieving actual report data. There is no explicit 'use this instead of sales_reports_get_collection when…' or note on prerequisites. The pointer to Apple docs for filter values is helpful context but is not when-to-use guidance.

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