modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk
[v2] Add an end-to-end public-client PKCE server contract
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Description
What happened?
With mcp==2.1.1, an MCP authorization server still cannot advertise and register an OAuth public client consistently without downstream patching:
build_metadata()does not includenoneintoken_endpoint_auth_methods_supported.RegistrationHandlerdefaults an omittedtoken_endpoint_auth_methodtoclient_secret_post, minting a secret even for clients intending to operate as PKCE public clients.- The individual token handler pieces support
token_endpoint_auth_method="none"when it is explicitly supplied, but there is no end-to-end SDK test pinning discovery -> DCR -> authorization-code/PKCE token exchange for a public client.
This is related to #2260, which was closed, and #2261, which remains open. The inconsistency is still present in the published v2 SDK.
For a real MCP server integration, we currently have to monkeypatch metadata generation and DCR's omitted-method behavior at import time. Those patches depend on private implementation details and are difficult to remove safely without a supported end-to-end public-client contract.
What did you expect?
The v2 server auth surface should support a complete public-client PKCE flow without monkeypatching:
- Authorization-server metadata advertises
none. - DCR preserves an explicit
token_endpoint_auth_method="none"and has a documented, interoperable default for omitted methods. - The token endpoint accepts the registered public client without a client secret and verifies the PKCE
code_verifieragainst the authorization code's challenge. - An SDK integration test covers the full flow so future releases do not regress it.
Merging or superseding #2261 plus adding the end-to-end test would provide a clear downstream exit condition.
Code to reproduce
from mcp.server.auth.handlers.register import RegistrationHandler
from mcp.server.auth.routes import build_metadata
# In mcp==2.1.1:
# - build_metadata() omits "none" from token_endpoint_auth_methods_supported
# - RegistrationHandler.handle defaults an omitted token_endpoint_auth_method
# to "client_secret_post"
SDK version
2.1.1
Area
Auth
Related
- #2260
- #2261
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 with mcp.server.auth.routes.build_metadata and mcp.server.auth.handlers.register.RegistrationHandler, then trace the authorization-code/PKCE token handlers and existing SDK auth tests. Done means discovery advertises none, registration handles explicit and omitted methods consistently, the token exchange verifies the PKCE code_verifier without a secret, and an end-to-end integration test covers the flow.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- authentication, backend-api-design, security
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 50/100