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An MCP server to search for news about international reactions to US tariffs.
Single tool with adequate naming (verb_noun pattern) but significant gaps in parameter descriptions and output documentation. Tool name 'get_tariff_reaction_news' is clear and action-oriented. Input schema present with two optional parameters (country, additional_keywords), but parameter descriptions are minimal (under 20 chars each). No output schema documented in the tool definition or server code. Error handling returns unstructured error messages without recovery guidance. The tool lacks pagination despite potentially returning variable result counts, and no limits are enforced in the description.
Searches DuckDuckGo for recent news articles (past week) about international reactions to the April 2025 US tariffs. Optionally filters by country and accepts additional keywords.
Parameter descriptions are too brief (under 20 chars). 'country' is described as 'The specific country to focus the search on' (48 chars, acceptable) but 'additional_keywords' is 'Extra terms to add to the query' (30 chars). Neither explains format, constraints, or examples.
Output schema is not documented. Tool returns SearchSuccessOutput (list of SearchResultItem objects) or SearchErrorOutput, but the MCP tool definition does not declare the output schema. LLMs cannot plan downstream operations or extract fields without knowing the response structure.
No pagination or result limits documented in tool description. Code enforces max_results=10 internally, but the description does not state this limit. Tool description should say 'Returns up to 10 results from the past week' so LLMs know what to expect and when to refine queries.
Inferred effective spec: <=2025-11-25.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | F | 44 | <=2025-11-25 | v2 |
Error messages lack recovery guidance. SearchErrorOutput returns bare strings like 'No results found for the specified query and time frame' or 'Error connecting to search service or processing results: {e}'. Try broadening the date range or removing filters.'
Tool description lacks context on when to use it and what it returns. Current description: 'Searches DuckDuckGo for recent news articles (past week) about international reactions to the April 2025 US tariffs. Optionally filters by country and accepts additional keywords.' Does not explain output structure, typical use cases, or limitations (e.g., 'Returns news snippets with titles, URLs, and publication dates').