get_courses_by_timeline

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint and openWorldHint, so the safety profile needs no restating. The description adds real behavioral context that annotations cannot: the classification is Moodle's own, derived from course start/end dates, which tells the agent not to substitute its own notion of 'current'. It stops short of describing result shape or ordering, but an output schema is present to cover that.

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 short sentences: what it does, how it differs, and the question it answers. The differentiator is front-loaded rather than buried, and no sentence merely restates the 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?

One optional parameter, a fully documented enum, a complete output schema, and read-only annotations mean there is little left to explain. The description covers the one genuinely ambiguous point — whose timeline classification is being used — so nothing an agent needs to call correctly is missing.

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 coverage is 100% and the enum already documents all three values with a default, so the baseline would be a 3. The description earns one point above it by grounding those values in an underlying mechanism (start/end dates), clarifying what 'inprogress' actually means in this system.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ("List enrolled courses") plus the exact filtering axis (Moodle's own timeline classification). It immediately distinguishes itself from the closest sibling by name, so an agent can choose between get_courses_by_timeline and list_courses without opening either schema.

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?

Explicitly names the alternative (list_courses, "returns everything unfiltered") and gives the selecting condition via a concrete user question ("what am I actually taking right now"). That is both a when-to-use and an implicit when-not, in one clause.

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