modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk

New example: examples/servers/admission-gate — a real approve/deny ServerMiddleware demo

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documentation P3 v2
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Python
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Description

Summary

Propose adding a new example server, examples/servers/admission-gate, demonstrating a real approve/deny use of ServerMiddleware — the SDK has this real, documented pre-execution veto point (runner.py's own comment calls it a "middleware veto") but no existing example actually denies anything. The one middleware example (stories/middleware) is audit-logging only; the SDK's only human-in-the-loop pattern (stories/refund_desk) uses elicitation for mid-call parameter confirmation, a different mechanism from a pre-call approve/deny gate on the whole tool call.

What it is

A filesystem server (read_file/write_file/delete_file) whose write_file/delete_file calls go through a middleware that queries an admission model with a written policy and the proposed action, and raises MCPError (the same mechanism handler errors already use) instead of calling call_next when the model says the policy requires denial.

The model backend is real tulip-agents code (tulip.models.native.openai.OpenAIModel, whose base_url override is documented for vLLM endpoints) — a dependency of this one example only, declared in its own pyproject.toml, not the rest of the workspace. Demoed against Clusiana, a real (unreleased) checkpoint trained for this exact three-way decision; any tulip-compatible chat model works the same way.

Verified

Real MCP client, real stdio transport, the server run as its own installed console script, the gate backed by a live model over a real network call — 4/4 correct on a representative probe, with the denied writes/deletes independently confirmed to have genuinely not touched the filesystem (not the tool's own claimed result). Full methodology: gist.

Scope

Doesn't touch src/mcp at all — new example directory only, own pyproject.toml, matches the existing examples/servers/* pattern (each with independent dependencies, e.g. simple-auth adds pydantic-settings).

Have a working, tested implementation ready — opening this first per CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting the PR.

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 with CONTRIBUTING.md and the existing examples/servers/* pattern, especially stories/middleware, then inspect runner.py's middleware veto comment. Build the isolated examples/servers/admission-gate directory with its own pyproject.toml and verify the real stdio client flow, including that denied write_file/delete_file actions raise MCPError and do not change the filesystem.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
72/100

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