Exam CCAR-F Topic 1 Question 134 Discussion
Actual exam question for Anthropic's CCAR-F exam
Question #: 134
Topic #: 1
Question #: 134
Topic #: 1
When implementing your lookup_order MCP tool, the backend sometimes returns errors-for example,
"Order not found" or temporary database failures. What is the correct pattern for communicating these errors back to the agent?
"Order not found" or temporary database failures. What is the correct pattern for communicating these errors back to the agent?
Suggested Answer: A Vote an answer
Option A follows the MCP error contract. An error originating during execution of a valid tool call-such as an API failure, input-validation problem, or business-logic failure-should be returned inside the tool result with isError: true. The content should explain what happened and, where possible, provide actionable recovery guidance.
The official MCP tools specification distinguishes tool-execution errors from protocol-level errors and specifies that execution failures are reported through tool results using isError: true. Anthropic's tool-using agent tutorial provides the equivalent Claude API pattern using is_error: true, allowing Claude to retry with corrected input, request clarification, or explain the limitation.
Option B falsely represents a failed operation as successful, weakening reliable failure detection. Option C deprives the agent of the information required to determine an appropriate recovery action. Option D may be converted into a tool error by some SDK runners, but uncaught exceptions are not the MCP-level response contract. The strongest implementation returns a concise, sanitized, actionable error result and separately records detailed diagnostics in server logs.
The official MCP tools specification distinguishes tool-execution errors from protocol-level errors and specifies that execution failures are reported through tool results using isError: true. Anthropic's tool-using agent tutorial provides the equivalent Claude API pattern using is_error: true, allowing Claude to retry with corrected input, request clarification, or explain the limitation.
Option B falsely represents a failed operation as successful, weakening reliable failure detection. Option C deprives the agent of the information required to determine an appropriate recovery action. Option D may be converted into a tool error by some SDK runners, but uncaught exceptions are not the MCP-level response contract. The strongest implementation returns a concise, sanitized, actionable error result and separately records detailed diagnostics in server logs.
by Rosemary at Sep 10, 2026, 03:03 AM
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