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Developer shares technique: rewrite tool descriptions for AI agents, not humans

A developer on Reddit describes a practical technique for improving AI agent tool selection: rewriting tool descriptions to answer six specific questions an agent needs, such as one-line purpose, when to use, when not to use, and required input format. The post argues that many agent failures stem from descriptions written for humans familiar with the codebase, not for the agent itself.

2 engagement·1 source·Sun, Jul 12, 2026, 05:16 PM
The post, shared on Reddit on July 12, 2026, outlines a method to reduce agent tool-selection errors. The author notes that early agent failures were not reasoning failures but tool-choice mistakes caused by descriptions written for human developers. The proposed rewrite includes six elements: one-line purpose in plain language, concrete trigger situations, near-miss cases to avoid, required input fields with examples, expected output format, and error handling notes. The technique is presented as a simple, actionable fix for practitioners building agent systems.

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