Retrieve rooms and zones with their lights' current state and scenes, optionally filtering to one room or zone. Use it to inspect your Philips Hue setup before controlling lights.
Rooms and zones, with their lights' current state and their scenes.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| room | No | Only this room or zone. |
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v0.1.0Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true, so the safety profile is known. The description adds useful context about the breadth of the read (whole-home structure plus current light state and scenes), but says nothing about freshness, size, or performance implications of an unfiltered call.
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?
A single tight sentence with no padding, and the resource scope is front-loaded. It loses a point only because the sentence fragment omits an explicit verb, which would have made the action unmistakable.
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 zero-required-argument read tool with a full output schema, the description need not explain return values, and it still summarizes what is included in the payload. It is sufficient to call the tool correctly, with the only real gap being absent usage context.
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% and the single optional 'room' parameter is documented in the schema as 'Only this room or zone.' The description's phrase 'Rooms and zones' loosely echoes that scoping but adds no syntax or format detail beyond the schema, so the baseline 3 applies.
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 is a noun phrase rather than a verb+resource statement, but it clearly enumerates what is retrieved: rooms and zones together with their lights' current state and their scenes. It stands apart from the sibling set (set_lights, set_power, activate_scene, etc.), which are all actions, though it never explicitly says it is a read/retrieval.
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 when-to-use guidance is given. The description does not state whether it should be called to bootstrap state before issuing set_* commands, nor does it name any alternative (there is no sibling read tool, but the agent is left to infer that).
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.