teachings

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full behavioral burden. It does disclose useful provenance semantics ('gathered and attributed, never authored'), implying the content is a curated read-only corpus rather than user-generated. But it says nothing about return shape, ordering, pagination of the 'queue', permissions, or whether any state is mutated — gaps that matter more given zero annotation coverage.

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?

Two compact sentences plus an em-dash appositive; the resource definition is front-loaded and the invocation rule is placed last. Little waste, though the cryptic '[WORD · internal]' tag consumes space without informing selection.

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 single-optional-parameter tool with no annotations and no output schema, the description covers invocation modes but leaves the return payload underspecified — what a 'queue' item looks like, ordering, and how the 'Greek anchor' and 'history' are surfaced. Adequate but with visible gaps for an agent trying to call it confidently.

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% and the schema documents only an untyped string id, so the description must compensate — and it does: it explains that id is optional and that supplying it returns a single teaching while omitting it returns the queue. That is meaningful semantic content the schema does not provide. It stops short of describing accepted id formats or what happens with an unknown id.

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 identifies the resource ('The teachings of Christ (Words in Red)') and its composition ('the frozen Greek anchor plus the history that ALIGNS to each teaching'), which is richer than a bare restatement of the name. However, there is no verb stating what the tool does (fetch/list/return) and no differentiation from close siblings like commentary, original_words, harmony, or word_study. The '[WORD · internal]' prefix is opaque and does not help an agent disambiguate.

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?

'Pass id for one teaching; else the queue' does give a concrete branch condition for how to invoke the tool, which is genuine usage guidance. But it never says when to choose this tool over commentary, harmony, or word_study, and there are no exclusions or prerequisites. Usage is implied by the parameter behavior rather than by task context.

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