Lists OpenAI model IDs available to your API key, excluding shutdown models unless requested, so you can discover valid models for text, vision, audio, and other tasks.
List model IDs visible to this API key. Filter shutdown models unless explicitly requested.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| limit | No | ||
| query | No | ||
| include_shutdown | No |
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v0.1.2Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are supplied, so the description carries the full behavioral burden. It does disclose one meaningful trait beyond structure: shutdown models are filtered out by default unless explicitly requested, which is real behavioral context. It says nothing about the API key's permission scoping beyond 'visible', rate limits, or how the 1000-model default limit interacts with the result set.
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?
Two short sentences, front-loaded with the resource and scope, then the one non-obvious default behavior. Nothing is redundant or padded.
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?
An output schema exists, so return values need no explanation, and the tool is a simple list operation. However, with zero schema description coverage the description should have covered the meaning of 'query' and 'limit'; that omission leaves an agent guessing on two of three inputs.
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 0% and all three parameters are bare. The description only illuminates include_shutdown (default filtering of shutdown models); it never explains what 'query' matches against (ID substring? owner? capability?) or what 'limit' means against a default of 1000. Two of three parameters remain undefined in both the schema and the prose.
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 ('List model IDs') plus an explicit scope ('visible to this API key'), which cleanly separates it from the singular siblings openai_get_model and openai_inspect_model. It does not name those siblings outright, so it stops short of a 5.
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?
Usage is implied: reach for this when you need an inventory of available models, and set include_shutdown when shutdown models are actually wanted. There is no explicit statement of when not to use it or a named alternative (e.g. openai_recommend_model for picking a model), so guidance is only inferable.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.