apple_list_analytics_report_segments

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

No annotations exist, so the description carries the full burden, and it does disclose a genuinely useful behavioral trait: the response contains size and checksum but no download URLs, telling the agent it must switch tools to fetch content. It leaves out pagination, auth, and error behavior, keeping it below a 5.

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?

One sentence with the key scoping qualifier front-loaded and a compact parenthetical that adds non-obvious information. No filler or repetition of the tool name.

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 simple single-parameter read tool with no output schema, the description covers what the tool lists and what the returned data includes/excludes. The only notable gap is that it doesn't mention pagination or how to get the instanceId.

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?

There is a single required parameter (instanceId) with 0% schema description coverage; the description clarifies that the ID refers to an analytics report instance, which adds real meaning beyond the bare string in the schema, but it doesn't say how to obtain that 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 uses a specific verb (List) and a precisely scoped resource (segment files of an analytics report instance). It clearly separates this tool from siblings like apple_download_analytics_report and apple_list_analytics_report_instances, but no sibling is named explicitly.

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?

The parenthetical about size/checksum 'without download URLs' implies this is a metadata-inspection step before downloading, but the description never states when to use this tool versus apple_download_analytics_report or what prerequisite instanceId must come from. Usage is only implied.

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