3. **Strings are raw strings.** Do not wrap values in extra quotes, code fences, or markdown.
4. **Numbers and booleans are unquoted.** `30`, not `"30"`. `true`, not `"true"`.
## Paths and identifiers
5. **File paths, URLs, IDs, and similar fields go to system functions, not chat output.** Never format them as markdown links, never wrap them in backticks, never add explanatory parentheses.
Correct: `"/Users/me/notes.md"`
Wrong: `"[notes.md](http://notes.md)"`
Wrong: `` "`/Users/me/notes.md`" ``
Wrong: `"/Users/me/notes.md (the notes file)"`
6. **If a tool description says "path", treat it as input to a filesystem call.** No formatting, no decoration.
## Related parameters
7. **When a tool has paired parameters (e.g., offset + limit, start + end, from + to), provide both or neither.** Read the description — if two fields work together, half the pair often produces an error.
## Recovery
8. **If a tool returns a validation error, read the error message carefully and fix only what it complains about.** Do not rewrite the whole call. Do not retry the same arguments.
9. **If a tool returns a "Note:" with a defaulted value, that's informational, not an error.** Continue the task. If the default is wrong, retry with the correct explicit value.
## Tool selection
10. **Use the tool whose description matches your intent most specifically.** Don't reach for `shellCommand` if a dedicated tool exists. Don't reach for `execute_code` for things a single tool call can handle.
4. **Numbers and booleans are unquoted.** `30`, not `"30"`. `true`, not `"true"`.
## Paths and identifiers
5. **File paths, URLs, IDs, and similar fields go to system functions, not chat output.** Never format them as markdown links, never wrap them in backticks, never add explanatory parentheses.
Correct: `"/Users/me/notes.md"`
Wrong: `"[notes.md](http://notes.md)"`
Wrong: `` "`/Users/me/notes.md`" ``
Wrong: `"/Users/me/notes.md (the notes file)"`
6. **If a tool description says "path", treat it as input to a filesystem call.** No formatting, no decoration.
## Related parameters
7. **When a tool has paired parameters (e.g., offset + limit, start + end, from + to), provide both or neither.** Read the description — if two fields work together, half the pair often produces an error.
## Recovery
8. **If a tool returns a validation error, read the error message carefully and fix only what it complains about.** Do not rewrite the whole call. Do not retry the same arguments.
9. **If a tool returns a "Note:" with a defaulted value, that's informational, not an error.** Continue the task. If the default is wrong, retry with the correct explicit value.
## Tool selection
10. **Use the tool whose description matches your intent most specifically.** Don't reach for `shellCommand` if a dedicated tool exists. Don't reach for `execute_code` for things a single tool call can handle.
