modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk
WWW-Authenticate parsing matches a field name as a substring of another auth-param
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Description
Describe the bug
Ran into this wiring up an OAuth-protected MCP client. When a 401 WWW-Authenticate challenge carries several auth-params, extract_field_from_www_auth (mcp/client/auth/utils.py) matches the requested field name as a substring of another param's name, so a different param shadows the real value.
The pattern is rf'{field_name}=(?:"([^"]+)"|([^\s,]+))' searched with re.search, with no boundary before field_name.
To reproduce
import httpx
from mcp.client.auth.utils import extract_field_from_www_auth, extract_resource_metadata_from_www_auth
def r(h):
return httpx.Response(401, headers={"WWW-Authenticate": h},
request=httpx.Request("GET", "https://api.example.com/"))
# A real `scope` is present, but `error_scope` shadows it:
print(extract_field_from_www_auth(r('Bearer error_scope="decoy", scope="read write"'), "scope"))
# -> 'decoy' (expected 'read write')
# Only a decoy param exists; no real `scope`:
print(extract_field_from_www_auth(r('Bearer custom_scope="leaked"'), "scope"))
# -> 'leaked' (expected None)
# Same for resource_metadata, which drives discovery URL selection:
print(extract_resource_metadata_from_www_auth(r('Bearer x_resource_metadata="https://decoy.example.com"')))
# -> 'https://decoy.example.com' (expected None)
Expected behavior
The field name should match only as a complete auth-param name (at the header start or after a whitespace/comma separator), so scope doesn't match inside error_scope. This matters most for resource_metadata, since the client uses it to pick the protected-resource-metadata discovery URL — reading it from the wrong param points discovery at the wrong place.
Environment
mcpmain(reproduces onv1.xas well)
I have a small fix (anchor the param name to the header start or a separator) plus regression cases added to the existing test_extract_field_from_www_auth_* parametrized tests, and can open a PR if this looks right.
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First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
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- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start in mcp/client/auth/utils.py at extract_field_from_www_auth and inspect the existing test_extract_field_from_www_auth_* parametrized tests. Reproduce the cases with decoy parameter names such as error_scope and custom_scope, then verify the parser only returns complete auth-param names and that resource_metadata discovery ignores decoys.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- authentication
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Estimated time
- 1-3 hours
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 78/100