mcp-course

Tool annotations

3/38 tools have annotations

Add readOnlyHint or destructiveHint annotations to every tool so hosts can warn users before invoking.

All four hints declared on every tool

38/38 tools missing one or more hints — research_explorer (missing: readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint); quick_search (missing: readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint); sales_dashboard (missing: destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint), +35 more. OpenAI's directory rejects tools where any of the four hints are missing or non-boolean.

For every tool, set all four hints (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint) to explicit true/false values that match the handler’s actual behaviour.

Destructive tools are labelled

2 tools perform destructive updates without destructiveHint — delete_file deletes at line 88 (_safe(path).unlink()); delete_file deletes at line 88 (_safe(path).unlink())

Add destructiveHint:true to any tool whose handler calls .delete(), .upsert(), .update(), unlink, rm, DELETE, DROP, REPLACE INTO, or any operation that overwrites existing data.

Descriptions match behaviour

1 tool describes read intent but its handler mutates — research_topic (line 193: (BRIEFS_DIR / filename).write_text(brief))

Rename the tool, rewrite the description, or move the side-effect into a separate clearly-named tool.

Tool inputs are validated

35/38 tool handlers declare input schemas (92%)

Declare an inputSchema with zod/joi/yup on every tool definition.

Tool handlers catch errors

Only 3/38 tool handlers wrap calls in try/catch (8%)

Wrap each tool handler body in try/catch and return a structured error response.

Tests exist

No test files found

Add tests that exercise each declared tool.

Shell command execution

2 child_process calls — runs shell commands

Prefer library functions over shell-outs. If you must shell out, ensure all inputs are properly escaped.

Tool description accuracy

research_topic: description implies read-only but handler writes/deletes/executes

Update tool descriptions to accurately reflect all capabilities — especially write, delete, or execute operations.