Fix unknown-method error code and add a protocol version registry (#2836)

Author: maxisbey

docs/migration.md

@@ -1135,7 +1135,7 @@ from mcp.server import ServerRequestContext
 
 ### `ServerSession` is now a thin proxy (no longer a `BaseSession`)
 
-`ServerSession` no longer subclasses `BaseSession`. It is now a small connection-scoped proxy that exposes `send_request`, `send_notification`, the typed convenience helpers (`create_message`, `elicit_form`, `send_log_message`, `send_tool_list_changed`, ...), `client_params`, and `check_client_capability`. The receive loop, `initialize` handling, and per-request task isolation that previously lived in `ServerSession` have moved to `JSONRPCDispatcher` and `ServerRunner`.
+`ServerSession` no longer subclasses `BaseSession`. It is now a small connection-scoped proxy that exposes `send_request`, `send_notification`, the typed convenience helpers (`create_message`, `elicit_form`, `send_log_message`, `send_tool_list_changed`, ...), `client_params`, `protocol_version`, and `check_client_capability`. The receive loop, `initialize` handling, and per-request task isolation that previously lived in `ServerSession` have moved to `JSONRPCDispatcher` and `ServerRunner`.
 
 `ServerSession` is normally constructed for you by `Server.run()` and reached via `ctx.session` in handlers, so most servers are unaffected. If you were constructing or subclassing it directly:
 
@@ -1182,28 +1182,36 @@ Tasks are expected to return as a separate MCP extension in a future release.
 
 Previously, the lowlevel `Server` hardcoded `subscribe=False` in resource capabilities even when a `subscribe_resource()` handler was registered. The `subscribe` capability is now dynamically set to `True` when an `on_subscribe_resource` handler is provided. Clients that previously didn't see `subscribe: true` in capabilities will now see it when a handler is registered, which may change client behavior.
 
-### Extra fields no longer allowed on top-level MCP types
+### Unknown request methods now return `-32601` (Method not found)
 
-MCP protocol types no longer accept arbitrary extra fields at the top level. This matches the MCP specification which only allows extra fields within `_meta` objects, not on the types themselves.
+In v1, a request for a method the SDK didn't recognize failed request-union validation and was answered with `-32602` (`"Invalid request parameters"`, empty `data`). Any method the receiver doesn't serve — unrecognized, or a spec method with no registered handler — is now answered with the JSON-RPC-specified `-32601` (`"Method not found"`), with the method name in `data`, on both the server and the client side, in every initialization state. Update anything that matched on the old code for this case.
+
+### Extra fields on MCP types are no longer preserved
+
+In v1, MCP protocol types were configured with `extra="allow"`: unknown fields passed to a constructor or received from a peer were kept on the model and re-serialized on output.
+
+In v2, MCP types silently ignore extra fields. Unknown constructor keyword arguments and unknown keys in wire data are dropped during validation — no error is raised, and the values do not round-trip:
 
 ```python
-# This will now raise a validation error
 from mcp.types import CallToolRequestParams
 
 params = CallToolRequestParams(
     name="my_tool",
     arguments={},
-    unknown_field="value",  # ValidationError: extra fields not permitted
+    unknown_field="value",  # silently ignored, not stored
 )
+"unknown_field" in params.model_dump()  # False
 
-# Extra fields are still allowed in _meta
+# _meta remains the supported place for custom data, per the MCP spec
 params = CallToolRequestParams(
     name="my_tool",
     arguments={},
-    _meta={"my_custom_key": "value", "another": 123},  # OK
+    _meta={"my_custom_key": "value", "another": 123},  # OK, preserved
 )
 ```
 
+If you relied on extra fields round-tripping through MCP types, move that data into `_meta`.
+
 ## New Features
 
 ### `streamable_http_app()` available on lowlevel Server

src/mcp/client/auth/oauth2.py

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
     check_resource_allowed,
     resource_url_from_server_url,
 )
+from mcp.shared.version import is_version_at_least
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -172,9 +173,7 @@ def should_include_resource_param(self, protocol_version: str | None = None) ->
         if not protocol_version:
             return False
 
-        # Check if protocol version is 2025-06-18 or later
-        # Version format is YYYY-MM-DD, so string comparison works
-        return protocol_version >= "2025-06-18"
+        return is_version_at_least(protocol_version, "2025-06-18")
 
     def prepare_token_auth(
         self, data: dict[str, str], headers: dict[str, str] | None = None

src/mcp/client/session.py

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
-from typing import Any, Protocol
+from typing import Any, Protocol, cast, get_args
 
 import anyio.lowlevel
-from pydantic import TypeAdapter
+from pydantic import BaseModel, TypeAdapter
 
 from mcp import types
 from mcp.client._transport import ReadStream, WriteStream
@@ -95,6 +95,14 @@ async def _default_logging_callback(
 
 ClientResponse: TypeAdapter[types.ClientResult | types.ErrorData] = TypeAdapter(types.ClientResult | types.ErrorData)
 
+_SERVER_REQUEST_METHODS: frozenset[str] = frozenset(
+    cast(type[BaseModel], arm).model_fields["method"].default for arm in get_args(types.ServerRequest)
+)
+"""Method names in the SDK's `ServerRequest` union, derived from the
+discriminator literal on each arm. Requests for any other method — including
+spec methods this SDK deliberately doesn't model, like `tasks/*` — are
+answered with METHOD_NOT_FOUND instead of failing union validation."""
+
 
 class ClientSession(
     BaseSession[
@@ -134,6 +142,10 @@ def __init__(
     def _receive_request_adapter(self) -> TypeAdapter[types.ServerRequest]:
         return types.server_request_adapter
 
+    @property
+    def _receive_request_methods(self) -> frozenset[str]:
+        return _SERVER_REQUEST_METHODS
+
     @property
     def _receive_notification_adapter(self) -> TypeAdapter[types.ServerNotification]:
         return types.server_notification_adapter

src/mcp/server/connection.py

@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ class Connection:
     """The full `initialize` request params; `None` before initialization."""
 
     protocol_version: str | None
+    """The protocol version negotiated during `initialize`; `None` before
+    initialization. Stateless connections don't require the handshake, so this
+    normally stays `None` there (a client that sends `initialize` anyway still
+    commits it). Handlers read this as `ServerSession.protocol_version`."""
 
     initialized: anyio.Event
     """Set when `notifications/initialized` arrives (matches TS `oninitialized`);

src/mcp/server/runner.py

@@ -243,12 +243,17 @@ async def _inner() -> HandlerResult:
             # (read loop parked), so awaiting the peer anywhere on this path deadlocks.
             if method == "initialize":
                 return self._handle_initialize(params)
+            # Methods without a handler are METHOD_NOT_FOUND regardless of
+            # initialization state: JSON-RPC 2.0 reserves -32601 for "not
+            # available on this server", and clients probing a server before
+            # the handshake key off that code. The init gate below therefore
+            # only ever applies to methods the server actually serves.
+            entry = self.server.get_request_handler(method)
+            if entry is None:
+                raise MCPError(code=METHOD_NOT_FOUND, message="Method not found", data=method)
             if not self.connection.initialize_accepted and method not in _INIT_EXEMPT:
                 # Pinned compat: the same error shape the union validation produced.
                 raise MCPError(code=INVALID_PARAMS, message="Invalid request parameters", data="")
-            entry = self.server.get_request_handler(method)
-            if entry is None:
-                raise MCPError(code=METHOD_NOT_FOUND, message="Method not found")
             # Absent params validate as {} (required fields still reject), so
             # the handler receives the model with its defaults, never None.
             typed_params = entry.params_type.model_validate({} if params is None else params, by_name=False)

src/mcp/server/session.py

@@ -50,6 +50,17 @@ def client_params(self) -> types.InitializeRequestParams | None:
         """The client's `initialize` request params; `None` before initialization."""
         return self._connection.client_params
 
+    @property
+    def protocol_version(self) -> str | None:
+        """The protocol version negotiated during `initialize`.
+
+        `None` before initialization completes. Stateless connections don't
+        require the handshake, so this is normally `None` there (on streamable
+        HTTP the per-request version is the `MCP-Protocol-Version` header,
+        available via `ctx.request.headers`).
+        """
+        return self._connection.protocol_version
+
     async def send_request(
         self,
         request: types.ServerRequest,

src/mcp/server/streamable_http.py

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 from mcp.shared._context_streams import ContextReceiveStream, ContextSendStream, create_context_streams
 from mcp.shared._stream_protocols import ReadStream, WriteStream
 from mcp.shared.message import ServerMessageMetadata, SessionMessage
-from mcp.shared.version import SUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS
+from mcp.shared.version import SUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS, is_version_at_least
 from mcp.types import (
     DEFAULT_NEGOTIATED_VERSION,
     INTERNAL_ERROR,
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ def _create_session_message(
         the stream is closed early because they didn't receive a priming event.
         """
         # Only provide close callbacks when client supports resumability
-        if self._event_store and protocol_version >= "2025-11-25":
+        if self._event_store and is_version_at_least(protocol_version, "2025-11-25"):
 
             async def close_stream_callback() -> None:
                 self.close_sse_stream(request_id)
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ async def _maybe_send_priming_event(
         if not self._event_store:
             return
         # Priming events have empty data which older clients cannot handle.
-        if protocol_version < "2025-11-25":
+        if not is_version_at_least(protocol_version, "2025-11-25"):
             return
         priming_event_id = await self._event_store.store_event(
             str(request_id),  # Convert RequestId to StreamId (str)

src/mcp/shared/session.py

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 from mcp.types import (
     CONNECTION_CLOSED,
     INVALID_PARAMS,
+    METHOD_NOT_FOUND,
     REQUEST_TIMEOUT,
     CancelledNotification,
     ClientNotification,
@@ -286,6 +287,12 @@ def _receive_request_adapter(self) -> TypeAdapter[ReceiveRequestT]:
         """Each subclass must provide its own request adapter."""
         raise NotImplementedError
 
+    @property
+    def _receive_request_methods(self) -> frozenset[str]:
+        """Method names in the receive-request union; anything else is
+        answered with METHOD_NOT_FOUND before validation is attempted."""
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
     @property
     def _receive_notification_adapter(self) -> TypeAdapter[ReceiveNotificationT]:
         raise NotImplementedError
@@ -297,6 +304,18 @@ async def _receive_loop(self) -> None:
                 async def _handle_session_message(message: SessionMessage) -> None:
                     sender_context: contextvars.Context | None = getattr(self._read_stream, "last_context", None)
                     if isinstance(message.message, JSONRPCRequest):
+                        if message.message.method not in self._receive_request_methods:
+                            # Unknown methods are METHOD_NOT_FOUND (-32601) per
+                            # JSON-RPC 2.0, not validation failures (-32602).
+                            error_response = JSONRPCError(
+                                jsonrpc="2.0",
+                                id=message.message.id,
+                                error=ErrorData(
+                                    code=METHOD_NOT_FOUND, message="Method not found", data=message.message.method
+                                ),
+                            )
+                            await self._write_stream.send(SessionMessage(message=error_response))
+                            return
                         try:
                             validated_request = self._receive_request_adapter.validate_python(
                                 message.message.model_dump(by_alias=True, mode="json", exclude_none=True),

src/mcp/shared/version.py

@@ -1,3 +1,37 @@
+"""Protocol-version registry and comparison helpers.
+
+Date-string protocol revisions happen to sort lexicographically, but versions
+are an enumerated set, not an ordered scalar: future identifiers are not
+guaranteed to be date-shaped, and unrecognized peer strings must compare
+conservatively instead of accidentally (e.g. "zzz" > "2025-11-25"). All
+ordering questions go through KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS.
+"""
+
+from typing import Final
+
 from mcp.types import LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION
 
+KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS: Final[tuple[str, ...]] = (
+    "2024-11-05",
+    "2025-03-26",
+    "2025-06-18",
+    "2025-11-25",
+)
+"""Every released protocol revision, oldest to newest."""
+
 SUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS: list[str] = ["2024-11-05", "2025-03-26", "2025-06-18", LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION]
+"""Protocol revisions this SDK can negotiate."""
+
+
+def is_version_at_least(version: str, minimum: str) -> bool:
+    """Return True if `version` is a known revision at least as new as `minimum`.
+
+    Unknown `version` strings return False (treat unrecognized peers
+    conservatively). `minimum` must be a member of KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS;
+    passing anything else is programmer error and raises ValueError.
+    """
+    if minimum not in KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS:
+        raise ValueError(f"minimum must be a known protocol version, got {minimum!r}")
+    if version not in KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS:
+        return False
+    return KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS.index(version) >= KNOWN_PROTOCOL_VERSIONS.index(minimum)

tests/client/test_auth.py

@@ -819,6 +819,24 @@ async def test_resource_param_included_with_protected_resource_metadata(self, oa
         assert "resource=" in content
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("protocol_version", "expected"),
+    [
+        ("2025-03-26", False),
+        ("2025-06-18", True),
+        ("2025-11-25", True),
+        # Unrecognized strings gate conservatively, even ones sorting after 2025-06-18.
+        ("zzz", False),
+        ("9999-99-99", False),
+    ],
+)
+def test_should_include_resource_param_by_protocol_version(
+    oauth_provider: OAuthClientProvider, protocol_version: str, expected: bool
+) -> None:
+    """Resource param is included only for recognized versions >= 2025-06-18."""
+    assert oauth_provider.context.should_include_resource_param(protocol_version) is expected
+
+
 @pytest.mark.anyio
 async def test_validate_resource_rejects_mismatched_resource(
     client_metadata: OAuthClientMetadata, mock_storage: MockTokenStorage