Tool Design & MCP
18%Tool Design covers how to build effective tools for Claude, including schema design, MCP server architecture, and best practices for tool exposure.
Key Topics
- ·Writing clear tool descriptions
- ·Input schema design
- ·MCP server/client architecture
- ·Resource and prompt exposure
- ·Handling tool errors gracefully
Sample Question
When designing a tool schema for a file-writing tool, which approach best reduces the risk of Claude passing invalid inputs?
- A. Accept a single string parameter with instructions embedded
- B. Use strict JSON schema with required fields and type constraints
- C. Accept any input and validate at runtime
- D. Provide no schema and rely on Claude's judgment
Explanation: Strict JSON schema with explicit types and required fields lets the model know exactly what's expected, reducing ambiguity and invalid calls. Runtime-only validation loses the pre-call guidance that schema provides.