List stale branches

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

Because no annotations are provided, the description carries the behavioral burden. It does disclose useful behavior: branches are selected by commit age and main/master/develop are protected by default. It does not clarify what 'protected' means in terms of inclusion or exclusion from results, nor does it describe truncation or ordering 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?

The description is a single efficient sentence that front-loads the main selection rule and the important protected-branch default. There is no filler or redundant repetition of the tool name.

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 five-parameter tool with no output schema and no annotations, the description is only partially complete. It captures the core intent but leaves parameter details, output shape, and invocation context largely to the agent's inference.

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?

The schema provides five parameters with 0% description coverage, so the description must compensate. It does map 'older than a configured age' to staleDays and alludes to protected branches, but repositoryId, project, and top receive no semantic explanation.

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 begins with a specific verb and resource: 'Find branches whose latest commit is older than a configured age.' It clearly conveys a stale-branch filter and names protected defaults, making it distinct from the generic list_branches sibling. It does not explicitly name an alternative, but the meaning is clear enough for an agent to identify the tool's purpose.

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 implies the tool should be used when looking for stale branches, and the protected-branch default gives some contextual signal. However, it never states when to choose this tool over siblings like list_branches or get_stale_repository_report, nor does it give any 'when not to use' guidance.

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