CCDV-F Tools and MCP Integration Practice Question
A developer is writing a tool called `send_email` for a Claude-based assistant. The tool's description currently reads: 'Sends an email.' During testing, Claude calls the tool for tasks like drafting an email or checking inbox contents. Which revision to the tool definition most directly improves Claude's decision about when to invoke `send_email`?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming stricter schemas or shorter tool names fix misuse, when the real lever is the natural-language description that guides tool selection.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Rewrite the description to state precisely what the tool does, when to use it, and when not to use it, such as only when the user explicitly asks to send a message.
The model chooses tools primarily from their descriptions, so a vague one like 'Sends an email' invites calls for drafting or inbox checks. A description that states the exact action, the conditions that should trigger it, and explicit non-triggers such as drafting or retrieving messages gives Claude the criteria it needs. Schema changes and renaming affect argument validity or naming, not the decision of when the tool applies.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Set `input_schema` to `type: "object"` with `additionalProperties: false` to lock down the parameter set.
Why it's wrong here
Restricting additional properties affects argument shape, not tool selection. Claude would still see the vague 'Sends an email' summary and could continue calling the tool for drafting or inbox tasks. Schema strictness is useful for validation, but the reported failure is about the model's understanding of the tool's purpose, which only a better description fixes.
- ✗
Rename the tool from `send_email` to `email` and rely on the shorter name to signal its broader role.
Why it's wrong here
A shorter or more generic name makes the tool seem applicable to more situations, which would likely increase the over-invocation. Names are weak signals compared with descriptions, and `email` could be read as covering reading, drafting, or sending. This change moves in the wrong direction and does not give Claude the explicit usage criteria it needs to avoid misapplying the tool.
- ✓
Rewrite the description to state precisely what the tool does, when to use it, and when not to use it, such as only when the user explicitly asks to send a message.
Why this is correct
Tool descriptions are the primary signal Claude uses to decide whether a tool applies. Stating the exact action, the trigger conditions, and explicit exclusions such as drafting or inbox retrieval gives the model the boundaries it needs. This directly addresses the over-invocation observed in testing, because Claude now has criteria to distinguish sending from drafting or reading messages.
- ✗
Add a `required` array listing `to`, `subject`, and `body` in the input schema.
Why it's wrong here
Required parameters ensure a call has the right fields once Claude decides to invoke the tool, but they do not clarify when the tool should be used. The observed problem is over-invocation for drafting and inbox checks, which is a selection issue rather than a schema completeness issue. Tightening required fields would not stop Claude from calling `send_email` for those unrelated tasks.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Anthropic exam blueprint
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