ai-agent-channel

channel_status

Retrieve your role's channel bootstrap to triage unread messages, open obligations, blocked tasks, and pinned entries before starting or wrapping up work.

Instructions

Call this at the start of every session AND before wrapping up a task — the channel is pull-based, nothing will wake you. Returns your role's bootstrap: a 'counts' summary for one-glance triage, plus details — unread, open obligations, proposals awaiting your ack, your still-blocked tasks, blocked tasks whose blocker is gone (resume via set_work_status), your in_progress tasks (what you left unfinished), needs_you tasks (the other side put the ball in your court), awaiting_done tasks (the other side declared done_local and waits for your 'done'), resolved_for_you (debts the other side closed that you must verify — confirm_resolution or reopen_message), and the pinned entries to read with pin_get before contract-related work. Task lists follow the LAST transition's author: in_progress/blocked are yours if YOU set them, needs_you/awaiting_done are yours if the OTHER side did. The FIRST call your role makes after the server changes also carries 'server.whats_new': what changed and what to do differently. It appears once per role per build and then stops — learning that the rules moved should not depend on breaking against them, and a notice that repeats forever is one everybody learns to skip. Ask again any time with server_build().

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedv0.1.0Sep 12, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and does so well: it discloses the pull-based/no-wakeup model, the semantic rule that task lists follow the last transition's author, the resume path via set_work_status, and the one-shot nature of 'server.whats_new' per role per build.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness3/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Front-loaded with the trigger instruction and dense with genuinely useful category semantics, but the closing rationale ('learning that the rules moved should not depend on breaking against them, and a notice that repeats forever is one everybody learns to skip') is rhetorical padding that doesn't help invocation.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

An output schema exists, so return values needn't be explained, yet the description still maps every return category and its required follow-up action. For a zero-param, no-annotation tool facing 40+ siblings, nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Zero parameters, so the schema imposes no semantic burden — baseline 4. The description adds no parameter detail because there is none to add.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

It states a specific action (fetch your role's bootstrap status) and enumerates the exact payload categories returned — counts, unread, obligations, proposals, blocked/in_progress/needs_you/awaiting_done/resolved_for_you, pinned entries. That detail makes it clearly distinguishable from siblings like read_inbox, open_obligations, or server_build.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicit when-to-use: 'at the start of every session AND before wrapping up a task.' It also gives the governing reason (the channel is pull-based, nothing will wake you) and names the alternative for build info ('Ask again any time with server_build()').

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