modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/php-sdk
Streamable HTTP server does not validate body/header protocol-version consistency on initialize
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Description
Describe the bug
When the initial initialize request carries an MCP-Protocol-Version HTTP header that disagrees with initialize.params.protocolVersion in the JSON-RPC body, the server accepts the request without error. In both mismatch directions, the server returned 2025-06-18 as the negotiated version rather than following either input value.
The current MCP 2025-11-25 specification does not explicitly require the server to check body/header consistency on initialize, so this is filed as an implementation observation rather than a strict spec-violation claim.
- Environment
- Reproduced with stable release
v0.5.0(fb2c8c2e) - Also reproduced with a
mainsnapshot from 2026-05-16 (5e0731f7) - Transport: Streamable HTTP server (stateful profile)
- Reproduced with stable release
To reproduce
- Start a PHP SDK Streamable HTTP server.
- Send an
initializerequest where the bodyprotocolVersionis2025-11-25but theMCP-Protocol-Versionheader is2025-03-26(or vice versa). - Observe that the server returns HTTP 200 with a normal
initializeresult. - Check the negotiated protocol version in the response.
Expected behavior
Option A: the server rejects the mismatch before negotiation, for example with HTTP 400 or a JSON-RPC Invalid Request error.
Option B: the spec clarifies which field is authoritative, and the SDK documents that behavior and covers it with a regression test.
Logs
Both mismatch directions were accepted:
body=2025-11-25 header=2025-03-26 -> HTTP 200, negotiated version = 2025-06-18 (server-determined)
body=2025-03-26 header=2025-11-25 -> HTTP 200, negotiated version = 2025-06-18 (server-determined)
The server returned its own preferred protocol version (2025-06-18) regardless of both the body and header values. In these tests, the negotiated version was server-determined rather than derived from either mismatched input.
With a Streamable HTTP server running, set ENDPOINT to the server endpoint and send an initial initialize request whose HTTP header and JSON-RPC body disagree:
ENDPOINT=http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp
curl -i -sS --http1.1 -X POST "$ENDPOINT" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Accept: application/json, text/event-stream' \
-H 'MCP-Protocol-Version: 2025-03-26' \
--data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"init-conflict-1","method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-11-25","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"version-conflict-repro","version":"0.1.0"}}}'
Repeat with the values reversed: body 2025-03-26, header 2025-11-25.
Additional context
- Related: SEP-2575 introduces a related future-state requirement that, for HTTP requests, the
MCP-Protocol-Versionheader match_meta["io.modelcontextprotocol/protocolVersion"].
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by locating the PHP SDK's Streamable HTTP server handling for the initialize request and reproduce the mismatch with the provided curl command in both directions. Decide whether mismatches should be rejected or documented as using an authoritative field, then add coverage for the chosen behavior and verify the negotiated version response.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- php
- Domain
- api, backend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 48/100