obsbot_tail2_zoom

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and delivers: firmware requires speed (defaults to 5), zoom ramps mechanically, the tool polls the readback, and it returns settled:false if the value hadn't arrived within ~5s while still having sent the command. This is exactly the kind of timing, side-effect, and return-behavior detail an agent needs.

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 range, then the speed requirement, then the behavioral caveat. Dense but every sentence carries distinct, useful information; the parenthetical qualifiers clarify rather than pad.

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?

With no annotations or output schema, the description supplies the missing behavioral and return semantics (settled flag, ~5s polling window, mechanical ramp). It stops short of explaining the 'camera' selector or what the settled payload contains, but is otherwise complete for a single-axis zoom command.

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 0%, so the description must compensate, and it does well for two of three params: it explains the ratio range (1.0–12.0) and its scale semantics and the speed range (1–10) plus the firmware requirement/default. The 'camera' parameter is left completely undocumented, a small but real gap.

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 gives a specific verb+resource ('Set absolute zoom ratio on a Tail 2') and clarifies the scale is the camera's own ratio, not a magnification multiple. However, it never distinguishes itself from the many sibling zoom tools (obsbot_zoom_uvc, obsbot_zoom_vendor, obsbot_zoom_to_fit), leaving the agent to infer which zoom primitive to pick.

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?

There is no explicit when-to-use guidance and no comparison to alternative zoom tools in the sibling list. The range and speed notes hint at usage, but the agent gets no rule for choosing this tool over the UVC/vendor/to-fit zoom variants.

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