Update Households Preferences

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of disclosing behavioral traits. 'Update Household Preferences' only indicates a mutation occurs; it does not state whether the update is partial or full, whether unspecified preferences are reset, whether permissions are required, or what side effects may occur. This is effectively no behavioral transparency beyond the operation name.

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, but this is under-specification rather than valuable conciseness. The single sentence does not earn its place because it merely repeats the tool name. Important information about behavior and parameters is missing.

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?

This is a tool with 10 optional parameters, no annotations, and no parameter descriptions. The description fails to explain the scope of the update, which household is being updated, whether this is additive or replacing, or any behavioral implications. Having an output schema does not compensate for the complete absence of usage and semantic context.

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%, and all 10 parameters are undocumented in both the schema and the description. The description does not explain what any of the preferences mean, how they interact, or what values are acceptable. Given the low coverage, the description needed to compensate heavily but instead mentions no parameters at all.

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 'Update Household Preferences' essentially restates the tool name and title without adding any specific information. It does not distinguish this tool from the sibling update_households_permissions or update_groups_preferences. This is a tautology rather than a clarifying purpose statement.

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 description provides no guidance on when to use this tool vs alternatives such as list_households_preferences or update_groups_preferences. There is no mention of which household is affected, prerequisites, or conditions that should trigger this update. The description is not misleading, but it gives the agent zero direction.

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