Query Air Quality

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

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and discloses valuable behavioral context: different per-country data sources and scales, and that the US endpoint requires AIRNOW_API_KEY while UK/CA do not. It stops short of describing return format, error behavior, or rate limits, but the auth and data-source disclosure is well beyond the schema.

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?

Purpose is front-loaded, followed by a scannable per-country breakdown and a single summarizing note. It is efficient, with only minor redundancy between the closing note and the schema's auto-detect guidance.

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 two-parameter query tool with no output schema and no annotations, the description covers the data sources, differing scales, and auth needs an agent needs to call it correctly. Return payload details are absent but are not strictly required given there is no output schema.

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 100% and both parameters (including the country enum and its ambiguous-city guidance) are already documented in the schema. The description adds the meaning of the differing scales per country, but largely restates the auto-detection behavior already in the schema, so it lands at the baseline.

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 opens with a specific verb and resource ('Get air quality data for a city') and scopes the tool to the US, UK, and Canada, cleanly separating it from siblings like query_weather and query_public_health without needing to open any 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?

It notes that country can be auto-detected or specified for ambiguous cities, which is useful invocation guidance, but it never states when to use this tool versus alternatives such as query_weather or query_public_health, nor any exclusions. Usage is implied rather than stated.

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