Search Populi API routes

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

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent and closed-world, so safety is covered. The description adds genuinely useful context the annotations cannot: the size of the catalog and the exact return shape ('route ids with method and path'). It does not mention the default/maximum result limit or truncation behavior, which keeps it short of a 5.

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, front-loaded with the resource and scale, then the return shape, then the routing instruction. Nothing is redundant and every sentence carries information an agent needs.

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 read-only search with three simple parameters and no output schema, the description supplies everything needed: what is searched, how large the corpus is, what comes back, and which tool to call next. No material gap remains.

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 query, method and limit are all documented in structured fields. The description reinforces the query parameter with example keywords, but says nothing about the method filter or the limit semantics, so it adds only marginal value over the schema.

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 ('Search the Populi API v2 route catalog') with concrete scale (697 routes / 180 models) and example keywords. It also distinguishes itself from the sibling populi_describe_api by naming that tool as the next step, so an agent can route between them 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?

'Use this first to find the right route, then populi_describe_api for its parameters' gives an explicit ordering and names the alternative tool. The one gap is that it doesn't say what to do when you already have an exact route id, though the schema covers that case.

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