Search Articles

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 explicitly reveals the web scraping mechanism and the risk of bot detection, which is valuable beyond the simple search action. It does not mention potential errors or response format, but the disclosed risk is a significant transparency credit.

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 sentences, with the primary purpose in the first sentence and a critical caveat in the second. It is compact, front-loaded, and every sentence adds necessary information.

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?

The tool is relatively simple with two parameters and no output schema. The description covers the search scope and the scraping risk, but does not specify return format or failure behavior if bot detection triggers. This is a minor gap, so 4 reflects a mostly complete but not exhaustive description.

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 fully describes both parameters (query and limit) with descriptions and constraints. The tool description adds no additional semantic information about the parameters, so the baseline score of 3 is appropriate.

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 searches for articles across all of Medium, using a specific verb and resource scope. This distinguishes it from the sibling search_author_articles, which implies an author-specific search.

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 broad scope ('across all of Medium') implicitly indicates when to use this tool, but no alternative tools are explicitly mentioned. The bot detection warning adds a cautionary usage note, though without explicit exclusions or when-not-to-use guidance.

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