list_announcements

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, and openWorld, so safety is covered. The description adds no behavioral context such as pagination behavior (the schema exposes a 'page' param) or what the announcement entries contain; the second sentence about teacher-authored source material is a disclaimer rather than behavioral disclosure.

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 first sentence is tight and front-loaded, but the second sentence about 'teacher-authored source material' is ambiguous in purpose and adds little actionable value for an agent deciding how to call the tool.

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, two undocumented parameters (including pagination), and no usage context, the definition leaves too much unstated for an agent to call this tool confidently alongside nine siblings.

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 the description mentions no parameters. 'course announcements' weakly implies courseId, but the 'page' pagination parameter is completely undocumented in both schema and description, so the agent gets no guidance on it.

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 clear verb+resource: 'Read course announcements' tells the agent exactly what it retrieves. It does not, however, distinguish itself from siblings like list_assignments or read_page, so an agent must infer the boundary from the resource name alone.

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?

No indication of when to use this tool versus the many sibling list/read tools, and no mention of required prerequisites. The scope is implied only by the word 'announcements'.

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