Hacker News stories

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=true, so the safety profile is covered. The description only adds 'current', implying live/fresh data rather than historical archives, but says nothing about pagination, result ordering, or how the limit interacts with the feed.

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?

A single front-loaded sentence with no filler; the resource and the feed variants are stated immediately. Slightly awkward parenthetical aside, but nothing that wastes the agent's attention.

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 simple read-only feed lister this is close to adequate: annotations cover safety and the enum covers valid feed values. Missing pieces are the default limit behavior and what a returned story contains, and with no output schema the description could have said more about the return shape.

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%, so the description must carry parameter meaning. It does enumerate the five feed values for the 'feed' parameter (matching the enum), but the 'limit' parameter (default 20, max 50) is never mentioned, leaving half the parameters unexplained.

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 ('Get'), resource ('Hacker News ... stories'), and scope (five feed variants: top, new, best, ask, show). It clearly distinguishes a feed-browsing tool from a keyword search, but never names the siblings (hackernews_search, hackernews_thread) it should be chosen over or alongside.

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?

Usage is implied by enumerating the feeds ('front page (top), newest, best, Ask HN or Show HN'), so an agent can infer this is for browsing ranked story lists rather than searching. However, there is no explicit when-to-use guidance and no mention of hackernews_search as the alternative for keyword queries, leaving the routing decision to inference.

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