List a space's files

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

Annotations cover the safety profile (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint=false), and the description layers on context annotations cannot express: required authorization level ("any space role"), a hard result cap of 500 files with a `truncated` signal for detecting truncation, and the shape of each entry including which fields are optional.

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?

Front-loaded with purpose and sibling differentiation, then payload shape, then filter syntax, then limits — a logical order with no filler sentences. It is dense and packs several clauses per sentence, which is justified by the information delivered but leaves little breathing room.

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, yet the description still names the meaningful return links (download_url, share_url, parent_page_id/parent_title) and the truncation flag, so an agent knows both what it gets and when output is partial. For a two-parameter read tool with full annotation and schema coverage, nothing material 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 already 100%, so the baseline is 3, but the description adds real semantics beyond the schema: the "absent = space root" convention on parent_page_id/parent_title, and the reserved literal "root" as a filter value. It stops short of documenting space_id behavior, but the incremental value over the schema is genuine.

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?

Opens with a specific verb+resource ("List every file stored in a space") and immediately scopes it against the closest sibling, list_attachments, naming the exact class of files only this tool can surface (root-parented, synced/imported). An agent can route between the two without opening either 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?

Explicit when-to-use ("the only way to discover a file that was synced or imported beside the page tree") and when-not ("invisible to list_attachments, which is per-page"), plus a concrete filtering recipe for parent_page_id. Nothing is left to inference.

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