List Printed Orders

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

Beyond the read-only and idempotent annotations, it explains the operational shipment state, discloses 401 errors for invalid API keys and 400 errors for unrecognized statuses, and notes the has_more pagination indicator. These details provide useful invocation and result-handling context, though the behavioral disclosure is not unusually extensive.

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 purpose and usage guidance are front-loaded, and the headings and bullets make the details easy to scan. The full parameter recapitulation and Returns section duplicate structured schema information, making the description longer than strictly necessary without creating confusion.

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?

For a read-only paginated list tool, it covers lifecycle scope, practical use cases, filtering, pagination, output formats, result contents, continuation signaling, and common errors. Together with the complete input schema, output schema, and safety annotations, this is enough for reliable selection and invocation.

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 much of the parameter section repeats defaults, limits, and formats already present there. It nevertheless adds useful meaning by explaining that recently_printed means labels were printed recently while unmanifested means printed but not yet manifested.

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 opening sentence clearly specifies the verb, resource, and lifecycle scope: listing StarShipIt orders whose labels have been generated. The printed/unmanifested distinction helps separate it conceptually from other order lists, but it does not explicitly differentiate or route away from siblings such as starshipit_list_unshipped_orders or starshipit_search_orders.

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?

It gives concrete use cases: auditing recently printed shipments and finding orders awaiting manifesting before carrier pickup. It lacks explicit when-not-to-use guidance or named alternatives for other order states, so the guidance is clear but not exhaustive.

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