What it requires. Two or more actions with the same target and overlapping descriptions, reachable from the same agent.
Why it matters. More tools do not always lead to better outcomes, and overlapping tools distract an agent from pursuing efficient strategies. This is a cited behavioural claim rather than a tidiness preference, and it comes with a fix: namespacing, or removing the duplicate.
How to fix it. Remove the duplicate, or namespace the two so their descriptions no longer compete for the same request.
Source. Anthropic tool-design guidance on overlapping tools
Is this rule worth checking?
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