web_crawl

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

With no annotations provided, the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. It does add useful details: concurrent fetching per depth level and robots.txt respect by default. However, it omits important behaviors such as how limits (max_pages, max_depth) are enforced, what happens on redirects or errors, and how same_domain_only is applied. Some behavior is disclosed, but the coverage is partial.

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?

The description is two short sentences, with the core purpose front-loaded. The second sentence adds relevant behavioral details without fluff. Every phrase earns its place; no redundancy or filler.

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 crawl tool with six parameters, no annotations, and an output schema that is not explained, the description is thin. It does not cover how results are returned, how same-domain restrictions work, error handling, or how the crawl terminates. While the output schema exists, the description still lacks context about default behaviors and edge cases that an agent needs to invoke the tool safely and effectively.

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 input schema has 0% description coverage, so the description must compensate by explaining parameter roles. The description only vaguely hints at depth and page limits ('respecting depth and page limits') and concurrency ('Fetches pages concurrently'), but does not explicitly define any of the six parameters: seed_url, extract, max_depth, max_pages, concurrency, or same_domain_only. This is minimal compensation for a schema with no descriptions.

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 clearly states the tool's action: 'Crawl a website starting from a seed URL, respecting depth and page limits.' The verb 'crawl' is specific and distinguishes it from siblings like web_fetch (single page) and web_search (query-based). No ambiguity about the resource or scope.

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 description gives no explicit guidance on when to use web_crawl versus alternatives. It does not mention web_fetch, web_search, or other siblings, nor does it state conditions like 'use this for multi-page traversal or when you need to discover links.' The only implicit clue is the word 'crawl,' which is not enough for an agent to reliably choose it.

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