Problem
MCP tool descriptions are the primary interface through which LLMs decide when and how to call a tool. Vague or incomplete descriptions can lead to:
- wrong tool selection
- incorrect parameter construction
- unnecessary retries / wasted tokens
Proposed Change
Audit and improve the description field of every registered MCP tool in src/tools/ to include:
- a one-line purpose statement
- 1–2 concrete usage examples inline (query patterns, parameter combos)
- explicit notes on when NOT to use the tool (e.g. "use
ckan_datastore_search for tabular data, not ckan_package_search")
Scope
Files to review:
src/tools/package.ts — ckan_package_search, ckan_package_show, ckan_find_relevant_datasets, ckan_analyze_datasets
src/tools/organization.ts — ckan_organization_list, ckan_organization_show, ckan_organization_search, ckan_group_*
src/tools/datastore.ts — ckan_datastore_search, ckan_datastore_search_sql
src/tools/status.ts — ckan_status_show, ckan_catalog_stats
src/tools/sparql.ts — sparql_query
Motivation
An article analyzing MCP reliability issues identified "models misinterpreting tools" as a primary failure mode, forcing developers to add fallback logic and guardrails. Better descriptions are the cheapest mitigation — no code changes to logic, just better prompting at the schema level.
Acceptance Criteria
Problem
MCP tool descriptions are the primary interface through which LLMs decide when and how to call a tool. Vague or incomplete descriptions can lead to:
Proposed Change
Audit and improve the
descriptionfield of every registered MCP tool insrc/tools/to include:ckan_datastore_searchfor tabular data, notckan_package_search")Scope
Files to review:
src/tools/package.ts—ckan_package_search,ckan_package_show,ckan_find_relevant_datasets,ckan_analyze_datasetssrc/tools/organization.ts—ckan_organization_list,ckan_organization_show,ckan_organization_search,ckan_group_*src/tools/datastore.ts—ckan_datastore_search,ckan_datastore_search_sqlsrc/tools/status.ts—ckan_status_show,ckan_catalog_statssrc/tools/sparql.ts—sparql_queryMotivation
An article analyzing MCP reliability issues identified "models misinterpreting tools" as a primary failure mode, forcing developers to add fallback logic and guardrails. Better descriptions are the cheapest mitigation — no code changes to logic, just better prompting at the schema level.
Acceptance Criteria
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