modelcontextprotocol / modelcontextprotocol/servers

Fail closed on unknown tool/resource/prompt declarations in server manifests

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Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description

Problem
Unknown tool/resource/prompt declarations can be silently ignored, masking configuration mistakes.

Why now
Reference servers should model strict protocol contracts and safe defaults.

Current behavior is insufficient
Permissive handling of unknown declarations can hide operator misconfiguration until runtime.

Expected behavior
Server manifest loading should fail closed when unknown declarations are present.

Acceptance criteria

  • Unknown declaration keys fail startup deterministically.
  • Error output identifies offending declaration path(s).
  • Strict validation applies to tool/resource/prompt declaration sections.

Validation

  • Add fixtures with unknown declarations and assert deterministic failures.
  • Verify valid manifests continue to pass unchanged.

Codepaths

  • src/everything
  • src/filesystem
  • src/fetch
  • src/git

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 by tracing server manifest loading in src/everything, src/filesystem, src/fetch, and src/git. Add fixtures containing unknown tool, resource, and prompt declarations, then run the existing validation checks to confirm deterministic startup failures and offending declaration paths. Done means valid manifests still pass unchanged.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
api, backend, testing
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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