OBS overview

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

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint=true and openWorldHint=false, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds the scope of the response contents, which is modestly useful, but says nothing about caching, refresh cadence, or error behavior when OBS is disconnected.

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?

It is a single compact sentence with no waste, but it is an unstructured comma list without a leading verb or organizing clause, so the reader has to parse the inventory to find the point.

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?

With no parameters, no output schema, and read-only annotations covering safety, the enumerated field list effectively serves as the return-value contract and is broad enough (version, performance, state, settings, folder) for an agent to know what it gets. It stops just short of stating structure or units (fps, disk units).

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 zero parameters, so there is nothing for the description to disambiguate; baseline 4 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 inventory of the payload (version, performance stats, stream/record state, scene, profile) with no verb, so the agent must infer 'returns a snapshot of OBS' from the name alone. It does distinguish itself from narrow siblings like get_video_settings or list_scenes by its breadth, but the purpose is implied rather than stated.

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?

There is no when-to-use guidance and no routing to alternatives. The sibling set contains overlapping tools (get_video_settings, get_outputs, list_scenes), and the description never says whether this is a preferred first call or a fallback aggregator.

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