Browse top-level Ableton Live browser categories, including instruments, sounds, drums, audio effects, and MIDI effects, to find devices and clips by category type.
Explore top-level categories in Live browser (instruments, sounds, drums, audio_effects, midi_effects).
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| category_type | No | Category filter |
Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
v1.0.0Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?
No annotations are supplied, so the description carries the full behavioral burden and does not meet it. It never states that this is a read-only operation, whether the result is hierarchical/nested, or how the tree is returned or bounded — meaningful gaps for an exploration tool with zero annotation coverage.
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?
A single efficient sentence with the resource front-loaded. The trailing parenthetical largely duplicates enum values already in the schema, which is mild redundancy rather than padding.
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 one-optional-parameter read tool this is close to sufficient, but with no annotations and no output schema the description should at minimum indicate the read-only nature and the shape of the returned tree. It leaves those to inference.
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 100% and the single enum parameter is fully documented in the schema, so the baseline is 3. The description's parenthetical merely repeats the schema's enum values (and omits 'all'), adding no syntax or filtering semantics beyond what the schema already provides.
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 states a specific verb and resource: exploring top-level categories in the Live browser, with a concrete list of the categories. It is clear what the tool returns conceptually, though it never distinguishes itself from the sibling get_browser_items, which an agent would plausibly confuse it with.
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 only implied: 'explore' suggests this is a discovery/navigation step, presumably before fetching items. No explicit when-to-use, when-not-to-use, or named alternative (e.g. get_browser_items) is provided, so the agent must infer the workflow.
Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.