Rule catalog · Metadata transparency

All tools have descriptions

all_tools_have_descriptionslowweight 3Post-handshake

Authored by Stanley Hong · AgentReserve (founder).

Every tool includes a non-empty `description`. Missing descriptions make capability review impossible without invoking the tool, which the scanner refuses to do.

When this rule runs

Requires a successful MCP `initialize` / `tools/list`. Skipped on perimeter-only scans where the server refused or failed the MCP handshake.

Why it matters

Capability review depends on descriptions. Without them, a reviewer cannot tell what the tool does without invoking it — which AgentReserve refuses to do, and which most cautious operators should refuse too.

Pass condition

Every advertised tool has a non-empty `description`.

Fail condition

One or more tools omit a description.

Evidence examples

When the rule fails, the report records evidence in roughly this shape:

  • {"missingFor": ["update_record"]}

Remediation

Add a one- or two-sentence description for each tool, written for a human reviewer who has not seen the source code.

Methodology

This rule belongs to the Metadata transparency dimension. Whether the server identifies itself and documents its tools — and whether the advertised identity matches the wire identity (cert CN/SAN, hostname). Operators need a stable name, a version, and an internally consistent identity claim to perform any kind of audit.

Read the full methodology for how rules are aggregated into a score, how verdicts are decided, and how hard-fail rules override the aggregate.