fetch_app_announcements

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden, and it delivers useful behavioral context: bodies retain Steam's raw markup, truncation/malformed states are reported, and author labels do not imply verified roles. It does not cover auth, rate limits, or pagination behavior, but the disclosed output caveats are genuinely informative.

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, each with a distinct purpose: the operation, the output/truncation behavior, and an important interpretation caveat. The main action is front-loaded and there is no filler.

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 there is no output schema, the description adequately explains the return characteristics (raw markup, truncation/malformed flags) and the scope of the announcements. Minor gaps remain around pagination behavior and sorting, but the core information needed to call and interpret the tool is present.

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 100%, so the schema already explains appId, limit, and cursor. The description reinforces the app-scoped behavior and the notion that content length can be truncated, but it does not add meaningful parameter-level meaning beyond what the input schema provides.

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 names a specific verb and resource: 'Fetch official Steam Community announcements for one app' and adds concrete content ('patch notes and hotfixes'). This clearly distinguishes it from siblings like fetch_reviews or search_app_discussions, even without naming them 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?

The description provides no guidance on when to use this tool instead of sibling tools, such as search_app_discussions or fetch_discussion_thread. It implies the use case (needing official announcements for one app) but gives no alternatives, exclusions, or conditions.

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