claudette

list_works

List the works in a corpus to see author, title, year, source, and slug. Use it to discover available texts or choose a slug for a restricted search.

Instructions

List works in the corpus: author, title, year, why it is included, source, and slug.

Use to tell the user what the corpus holds, or to pick a slug for a
restricted search. Not a search — it returns no passages. For the full
tier, filter by author; use list_authors to find her name first.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Maximum rows. The full tier has thousands; filter by author rather than paging.
`shelf`	No	'thought', 'fiction' (both curated), or 'uncurated' for the full tier. Unset lists curated first.
`author`	No	Substring of an author's name, to see what the corpus holds by her.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`data`	No
`status`	Yes	ok — passages found that match most of the question's terms. weak — something matched, but thinly; say so if you use it. no_coverage — the corpus does not speak to this. Say that. Do not answer from elsewhere. not_found — a specific reference did not resolve.
`constraint`	No		Answer only from these passages. Quote or closely paraphrase, and cite each claim as [Author, Title §n]. If the passages do not speak to the question, say so plainly rather than filling the gap from elsewhere.
`provenance`	No		Every passage is from a work by a named woman author. Each hit's `source` says where that text came from and on what basis; `curated` says whether a person reviewed the edition.
`limitations`	No	Part of the answer, not a disclaimer.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed4 schema fields changedv0.5.2Sep 19, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / author

Added value: +{
+  "anyOf": [
+    {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "null"
+    }
+  ],
+  "default": null,
+  "description": "Substring of an author's name, to see what the corpus holds by her.",
+  "title": "Author"
+}

addedInput schema / properties / limit

Added value: +{
+  "default": 100,
+  "description": "Maximum rows. The full tier has thousands; filter by author rather than paging.",
+  "maximum": 500,
+  "minimum": 1,
+  "title": "Limit",
+  "type": "integer"
+}

changedInput schema / properties / shelf / description

Previous value: -"'thought' or 'fiction', or unset for all."New value: +"'thought', 'fiction' (both curated), or 'uncurated' for the full tier. Unset lists curated first."

changedOutput schema / properties / provenance / default

Previous value: -"Every passage is from a work by a named woman author, in the public domain, via Project Gutenberg."New value: +"Every passage is from a work by a named woman author. Each hit's `source` says where that text came from and on what basis; `curated` says whether a person reviewed the edition."

First observedv0.1.0Sep 18, 2026

TDQS

A4.7/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

With no annotations provided, the description must disclose behavior on its own. It does: 'returns no passages,' 'Unset lists curated first,' and the note about thousands of rows prompting author-filtering. These go beyond the schema. It omits details like sorting order or error conditions, but the core behavioral traits are transparent enough for reliable invocation.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Roughly 60 words, every sentence carries weight. The primary purpose and returned fields are front-loaded, followed by concise usage guidance and sibling differentiation. No filler, no redundancy with the schema.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a tool with three optional parameters, an output schema, and clear siblings, the description covers everything an agent needs: what it returns, when to use it, how to filter, and which sibling to call instead. The output schema explains the return shape, so the description need not repeat it. No critical information is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the baseline is 3. The description enriches the schema by explaining limit's intent ('filter by author rather than paging'), clarifying the shelf ordering behavior ('Unset lists curated first'), and confirming author is a substring filter. This adds meaningful guidance beyond the parameter descriptions.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a precise verb and resource: 'List works in the corpus' and enumerates the exact fields returned (author, title, year, why included, source, slug). It immediately distinguishes itself from sibling search_corpus with 'Not a search — it returns no passages' and points to list_authors for name lookups, so an agent can tell it apart without inspecting schemas.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly states two use cases: 'tell the user what the corpus holds' and 'pick a slug for a restricted search.' It gives an exclusion ('Not a search — it returns no passages') and directs to sibling list_authors for finding an author name, plus advises filtering by author instead of paging on the full tier. This fully routes the agent to correct tool selection.

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

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