{"record":{"id":"cbf34a60ec4bc4f8","repo":"googleapis/mcp-toolbox","slug":"description-is-required-for-tool-q-cbf34a","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"description is required for tool %q","messagePattern":"description is required for tool %q","errorType":"validation","errorClass":null,"httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"internal/tools/bigquery/bigqueryexecutesql/bigqueryexecutesql.go","lineNumber":80,"sourceCode":"}\n\ntype Config struct {\n\ttools.ConfigBase `yaml:\",inline\"`\n\tType             string                 `yaml:\"type\" validate:\"required\"`\n\tSource           string                 `yaml:\"source\" validate:\"required\"`\n\tAnnotations      *tools.ToolAnnotations `yaml:\"annotations,omitempty\"`\n}\n\n// validate interface\nvar _ tools.ToolConfig = Config{}\n\nfunc (cfg Config) ToolConfigType() string {\n\treturn resourceType\n}\n\nfunc (cfg Config) Initialize(context.Context) (tools.Tool, error) {\n\tif cfg.Description == \"\" {\n\t\treturn nil, fmt.Errorf(\"description is required for tool %q\", cfg.Name)\n\t}\n\n\tparams, err := buildParams(\"\", nil)\n\tif err != nil {\n\t\treturn nil, err\n\t}\n\treturn Tool{\n\t\tBaseTool: tools.NewBaseTool(\n\t\t\tcfg,\n\t\t\ttools.GetAnnotationsOrDefault(cfg.Annotations, tools.NewDestructiveAnnotations),\n\t\t\ttools.Manifest{Description: cfg.Description, Parameters: params.Manifest(), AuthRequired: cfg.AuthRequired},\n\t\t\tparams,\n\t\t),\n\t}, nil\n}\n\n// validate interface\nvar _ tools.Tool = Tool{}","sourceCodeStart":62,"sourceCodeEnd":98,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/googleapis/mcp-toolbox/blob/8cc6e09de2ad7b8bffc77751799585a1401a48eb/internal/tools/bigquery/bigqueryexecutesql/bigqueryexecutesql.go#L62-L98","documentation":"The bigquery-execute-sql tool's Config.Initialize returns this error when the tool's Description field is empty. Descriptions are required because they are surfaced to the LLM as the tool's prompt-level documentation. The check runs at configuration/initialization time, before any request is served.","triggerScenarios":"Declaring a bigquery-execute-sql tool in the YAML config (or constructing Config programmatically) without setting the description field, then calling Initialize.","commonSituations":"Hand-written tools.yaml with a missing or empty description key; YAML indentation mistakes that drop the description field; programmatic tool construction where Description was left at its zero value.","solutions":["Add a non-empty description field to the bigquery-execute-sql tool definition in your config.","Verify YAML indentation so description is a sibling of name/kind, not nested or swallowed.","If building Config in Go, set cfg.Description before calling Initialize."],"exampleFix":"// before (tools.yaml)\ntools:\n  execute-sql:\n    kind: bigquery-execute-sql\n    source: my-bigquery-source\n// after\ntools:\n  execute-sql:\n    kind: bigquery-execute-sql\n    source: my-bigquery-source\n    description: Runs BigQuery SQL statements against the configured datasets.","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"if cfg.Description == \"\" {\n    return fmt.Errorf(\"tool %q: description is required\", cfg.Name)\n}\nif err := cfg.Initialize(context.Background()); err != nil { /* handle before serving */ }","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"tool, err := cfg.Initialize(ctx)\nif err != nil {\n    log.Fatalf(\"invalid bigquery-execute-sql config: %v\", err)\n}","preventionTips":["Never leave description empty in tool definitions; treat it as a required field in your config linter.","Run server startup config validation in CI to catch missing fields early.","Watch YAML indentation when hand-editing tools.yaml.","Use schema validation (yaml lint against the toolbox schema) before deploy."],"tags":["go","bigquery","configuration","validation"],"backgroundTag":"missing-required-argument","analyzedSha":"8cc6e09de2ad7b8bffc77751799585a1401a48eb","analyzedAt":"2026-09-05T01:10:36.887Z","contentChangedAt":"2026-09-05T01:10:36.887Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-08T10:18:20.063Z"}