create_backup

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

Goes well beyond the annotations by listing included content (notes/cards, scheduling, deck settings, media), excluded content (collection preferences, add-on settings), the return value, the absence of an automatic restore path, and the concurrent-use behavior. This is exactly the kind of context annotations cannot carry, and it is consistent with readOnlyHint=false and destructiveHint=false.

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 tight sentences, front-loaded with the primary action and outcome, followed by scope boundaries and the return/restore caveat. No wasted wording.

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?

An agent knows what the tool produces, what is and is not captured, that it is a non-destructive file export, and that restore is out of scope. An output schema exists, yet the description still supplies the essential path-return fact without redundancy.

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 tool takes no parameters, so there is nothing to document and the baseline applies. The description correctly avoids inventing options the schema does not have.

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?

Names a specific verb and resource (export a local .apkg recovery snapshot) and enumerates exactly what the snapshot contains and excludes. No sibling tool covers backup/export, so it is trivially distinguishable from deck/card management siblings.

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?

Frames the use case as a recovery snapshot and notes it works while Anki stays open, which tells the agent it is safe to run mid-session. It does not state any explicit when-not or prerequisites, but there is no competing sibling for this purpose to route against.

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