air_quality_hist

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/idempotent/openWorld/destructive=false, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds a genuine behavioral trait beyond annotations — hourly granularity is slow to download — plus the city-list dependency, but says nothing about rate limits or response shape beyond rtype.

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?

Front-loaded with purpose and source, then organized :param blocks with no filler. Slightly heavier than needed due to the URL and :type/:rtype scaffolding, but every line carries information (dependencies, format, tradeoffs).

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 4-parameter tool with 0% schema coverage and no output schema, the description covers every parameter, the return type (pandas.DataFrame), the city-list dependency, and the period tradeoff. An agent has enough to call it correctly; only error/edge behavior is unaddressed.

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 the load, and it does: it documents all four parameters, explains the period values ('hour'/'day'/'month') with their data-volume tradeoff, gives date format examples ("20190327"), and points to air_city_table for valid cities. Only the exact city-value format is left implicit.

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 the source (真气网/zq12369.com) and states it returns historical air quality data for a city/period range, which is a specific verb+resource. It distinguishes itself from realtime siblings like air_quality_watch_point by the '历史数据' framing, though it never names an alternative 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?

It gives a prerequisite hint (call ak.air_city_table() to get the city list) and warns that 'hour' downloads are slow due to large data volume, which is useful guidance. However there is no explicit when-to-use / when-not-to-use versus the many air_quality_* siblings, so usage is only implied.

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