Fetches Shopify catalog details and variant options by product or variant ID using country and currency, enabling agents to inspect items without checkout or delivery checks.
Retrieve current catalog details and variant options by Shopify identifier. Does not verify checkout or delivery.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | Yes | ||
| country | Yes | ||
| currency | Yes | ||
| selected | No |
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v0.3.0Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
Annotations already declare readOnlyHint, idempotentHint, and openWorldHint, so the safe-read profile is covered. The description adds the boundary that checkout/delivery are out of scope and that data is 'current', but says nothing about freshness semantics, auth, or response behavior.
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?
Two short sentences, front-loaded with the core purpose and followed by the scope caveat. No wasted words, though the second sentence is terse and could carry more of the parameter burden.
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, the description should carry the return shape, and 'catalog details and variant options' only partially does so. Combined with undocumented required params (country, currency) and the cryptic 'selected' array, the definition is minimally adequate.
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 4 parameters (including a nested 'selected' array). The description only gestures at 'id' via 'Shopify identifier' and leaves country, currency, and selected entirely undocumented in both schema and prose, so it fails to compensate for the coverage gap.
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+resource: 'Retrieve current catalog details and variant options by Shopify identifier.' The retrieval-by-identifier framing implicitly separates it from search_products, though no sibling is named 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?
'Does not verify checkout or delivery' functions as a scope exclusion that points an agent away from compare_offers/compare_shipping_plans, but no when-to-use condition or alternative tool is named. Usage is only implied.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.