show_photons

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

With no annotations, the description carries the behavioral burden well. It discloses significant behavior: H3 chunk indexing, byte-range reads, Parquet lake caching ('first touch... later calls hit the lake'), and the return of a widget URL plus provenance. It does not address side effects, permissions, or prerequisites, so not 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 tightly scoped sentences front-load the purpose, then explain area formats, then describe caching and return behavior. No filler or redundancy; the 'Slice 1' prefix is minor and does not hurt clarity.

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?

Covers the core workflow, area selection, data access strategy, and return values, which is strong given no annotations and no output schema. Still incomplete for three parameters and for how this relates to sibling UI tools, keeping it from a 5.

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?

With 0% schema description coverage, the description compensates partially by defining region, bbox, and polygon formats. However, question, time_window, and max_granules are left entirely to inference, and their expected formats/behavior are not explained.

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 specific verb and resource: 'extract real ICESat-2 ATL03 land-ice signal photons' and 'create a 3D scene with an imagery base layer.' Also includes concrete filters (strong beams, medium+high confidence) and area scope, making it clearly distinguishable from generic sibling UI/scene tools.

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?

Provides clear context on when to use it: to extract and visualize ICESat-2 photon data over a region, bbox, or polygon. It does not explicitly name alternatives or state when not to use this tool, so it falls short of a 5.

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