Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) — biodiversity taxa, names, hierarchies
Four tools with complete input schemas and basic descriptions. All tools are READ_ONLY and follow verb_noun naming (search, get_page, pages_by_name, hierarchy). However, descriptions are terse (10-80 chars, below the 50-200 char baseline for LLM optimization), lack context on WHEN to use each tool, and parameter descriptions are minimal. No output schema documentation. Error handling exists but lacks recovery guidance. Missing tool annotations (readOnlyHint). No pagination support despite search potentially returning large result sets.
Fetch a taxon page by EOL id (synonyms, common names, hierarchy summary).
Taxonomic hierarchy for a given EOL hierarchy entry id (from get_page).
Find EOL page id(s) for an exact scientific name.
Search EOL for a name (common or scientific).
Descriptions are too brief (10-80 chars vs 50-200 char baseline). 'Search EOL for a name' lacks context on when to use search vs pages_by_name, what results contain, or how to chain with get_page.
No output schema documentation. LLMs cannot predict what fields search() returns (e.g., does it include EOL page IDs? common names? hierarchy info?) or how to chain results to get_page().
Parameter descriptions lack format/constraint details. 'limit: 1-50 (default 10)' is in description text, not a schema constraint. 'detail: Include data objects' doesn't explain what 'data objects' means or when to set true vs false.
No tool annotations. All four tools are READ_ONLY but lack readOnlyHint in schema, forcing LLMs to infer safety from descriptions alone.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | D | 52 | 2026-07-28+ | v2 |
Error messages are generic ('EOL: not found', 'EOL: 404') and lack recovery guidance. No suggestion to try alternative tools or check input format.