github / github/copilot-cli

Title: MCP tools with dots in names cause 400 Bad Request — should match MCP spec

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#2,581 2 comments 3 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
area:mcp
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Description

When an MCP server returns tools with dots (.) in their names, Copilot CLI sends them to the API which rejects them with a 400 error:

✗ Execution failed: CAPIError: 400 tools.19.custom.name: String should match pattern
'^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{1,128}$'

The MCP specification explicitly allows dots in tool names (section 5.1.1). VS Code Copilot handles this by remapping tool names internally (dots → underscores), but the CLI passes them through raw and the API rejects them.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Configure an MCP server that returns tools with dots in names (e.g., Backstage's @backstage/plugin-mcp-actions-backend v0.1.10+ which generates names like catalog.get-entity-facets)
2. Start Copilot CLI
3. Send any prompt → 400 Bad Request

Expected Behavior

API should accept dots per the MCP spec.

Actual Behavior

Hard failure — CLI becomes completely unusable when any MCP server has dotted tool names.

Environment

- Copilot CLI: latest
- OS: macOS / Windows / Linux (all affected)

Related Issues

- VS Code (warning, not error): https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/308463
- IntelliJ (same hard failure): https://github.com/microsoft/copilot-intellij-feedback/issues/1583
- MCP spec discussion on tool name pattern: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/1603
- MCP Spec — Tool Names: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-11-25/server/tools

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing the failure with an MCP server returning a dotted tool name such as catalog.get-entity-facets, then trace the Copilot CLI path that sends MCP tools to the API. Done means dotted names no longer produce a 400 error while conforming to the MCP specification, with coverage for the affected request path.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
api, cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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