Search hotels near a place

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

Annotations already declare readOnly/openWorld/idempotent/non-destructive, so the safety profile is covered. The description adds real behavioral context beyond them: prices are live and merged across meta-search sources, max_drive_minutes applies OSM routing with a traffic allowance and injects drive_minutes, results are paginated, and 'Does not book.'

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?

Dense but front-loaded: purpose first, then accepted inputs, then result shape, then the two sibling pointers. The sentence enumerating returned fields largely restates the output schema, which is mild redundancy, but nothing else is wasted.

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 an output schema present the description needn't explain returns, and it still covers input forms, pagination, drive-time filtering semantics and the booking boundary. Nothing an agent needs to call this correctly is missing.

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 100%, so the baseline is 3; the description goes further by explaining that the place argument accepts lat+lng, station code, IATA code or a name, and by describing what max_drive_minutes actually does (routing plus traffic allowance, adds drive_minutes). It doesn't clarify include_unpriced or the price-cap interaction beyond the schema.

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?

States a specific verb and resource ('Finds hotels around a place in India') plus the scope (dates, live merged prices) and explicitly contrasts itself with get_hotel_rates and compare_hotels. An agent can distinguish it from every sibling without opening a schema.

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?

Explicitly routes the agent: per-seller prices belong to get_hotel_rates and times to other places to compare_hotels, and it enumerates the four accepted place-input forms. It stops short of stating when-not to use it (e.g. once a hotel id is known), so it is clear context without full exclusions.

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