hello-world

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. 'Say hello to the user' implies a read-only output operation, but doesn't specify whether this creates any side effects, requires authentication, has rate limits, or what the actual output format is. It's minimal behavioral information for a tool that presumably just returns a greeting.

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?

The description is extremely concise at just four words, front-loaded with the core action. There's zero wasted language or redundancy. For a simple greeting tool, this brevity is appropriate and efficient.

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 tool with one parameter and no output schema, the description is minimally complete. It tells what the tool does at a high level but lacks details about the return value format or any behavioral constraints. Without annotations and with no output schema, the agent would need to infer the response structure from the tool name and description alone.

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?

The schema has 100% description coverage, with the single parameter 'name' clearly documented as 'The name of the user'. The description doesn't add any additional parameter information beyond what the schema provides, but with only one well-documented parameter and no complex semantics needed, this is adequate. The baseline would be 3 for high schema coverage, but the simplicity of the single parameter justifies a 4.

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 'Say hello to the user' states a clear action (say hello) and target (user), but it's vague about what this actually does - is it a greeting message, a notification, or something else? It doesn't distinguish from the sibling tool 'get-mcp-docs' which is completely different in function. The purpose is understandable but lacks specificity about the output format or mechanism.

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?

No guidance is provided about when to use this tool versus alternatives. The description doesn't mention any context for usage, prerequisites, or exclusions. With only one sibling tool that serves a completely different purpose (document retrieval), there's no explicit comparison or guidance about choosing between them.

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