modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/java-sdk

StdioClientTransport: Inbound Scheduler and Error Scheduler threads are locked on Windows

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bug P2
Dominant language
Java
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Description

Bug description
Two threads, Inbound Scheduler and Error Scheduler, remain locked forever (at java.io.FileInputStream.readBytes native call) in io.modelcontextprotocol.client.transport.StdioClientTransport after the graceful shutdown is completed using closeGracefully method.

Looks like a Windows specific issue with native I/O calls. The problem is observed when running on Windows. No problems with Linux environment.

The thread dump is attached.
dump_jdk17.txt
See "pool-2-thread-1" and "pool-5-thread-1" dumps.

Environment
Windows 11 Enterprise
mcp-core 0.17.1
Spring AI 2.0.0-SNAPSHOT
JDK Temurin 17.0.14 (also tried Amazon Corretto 21.0.5)

Linux Behavior
Works fine under Ubuntu 24.04 and JDK Temurin 21.0.10

Steps to reproduce

Expected behavior
The Java process terminates after running the Spring AI Filesystem Demo example.

Possible solution
On Windows, use daemon threads for inbound and error schedulers

private ThreadFactory daemonThreadFactory = runnable -> {
		Thread t = new Thread(runnable);
		t.setDaemon(true);
		return t;
	};
if (isWindows) {
    this.inboundScheduler = Schedulers.fromExecutorService(Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor(daemonThreadFactory), "inbound");
    this.errorScheduler = Schedulers.fromExecutorService(Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor(daemonThreadFactory), "error");
}

Tried this solution locally. It resolves the termination issue. But the graceful shutdown logic in io.modelcontextprotocol.client.transport.StdioClientTransport#closeGracefully should be revised as well.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at io.modelcontextprotocol.client.transport.StdioClientTransport, focusing on the Inbound Scheduler, Error Scheduler, and closeGracefully method, then review the attached Windows thread dump for the blocked reads. Reproduce the Spring AI Filesystem Demo on Windows and verify that shutdown terminates the Java process without leaving scheduler threads locked.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
java
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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