List VPS

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. It only states the operation is a 'get' (read) and lists 'all virtual machines,' but does not clarify behaviors such as whether results are paginated, whether deleted VPSs are included, or whether any account-level scope applies. This lacks the transparency expected for a tool with zero annotation support.

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, concise sentence that is easy to parse. It avoids redundancy and includes no extraneous information. For a tool with no parameters and simple behavior, this is appropriately sized and well structured.

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?

Given the low complexity (no params, no output schema, no annotations), the description covers the basic purpose but omits any additional context that would help the agent understand what to expect as a return value or any special behavior. It lacks details like whether the list is paginated or if any filtering is possible, which could be relevant for a list operation.

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 tool has zero parameters, so the baseline is 4. The description correctly implies no inputs are required, and the schema confirms this with an empty object. No additional parameter semantics are needed because there are no parameters to clarify.

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 clearly states the tool's function: 'Get list of all virtual machines.' It uses a specific verb ('Get') and resource ('all virtual machines'), which unambiguously indicates the scope (listing all VPS resources). It distinguishes itself from sibling tools like vps_get (which retrieves a single VPS) and vps_purchase (which creates a new one).

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 versus alternatives. There is no mention of scenarios (e.g., 'use this to retrieve all VPSs at once') or exclusions (e.g., 'for a specific VPS, use vps_get'). The context of being a list tool is implicit, but no explicit usage advice is given.

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