[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

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bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

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2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Add copy buttons to all
 blocks\n(function() {\n function addCopyButtons() {\n document.querySelectorAll('pre code').forEach(function(codeBlock) {\n if (codeBlock.parentElement.hasAttribute('data-copy-added')) return;\n codeBlock.parentElement.setAttribute('data-copy-added', 'true');\n \n var btn = document.createElement('button');\n btn.textContent = 'Copy';\n btn.style.cssText = 'position:absolute;top:4px;right:4px;padding:2px 8px;font-size:11px;background:#4ecdc4;border:none;border-radius:4px;color:#1a1a2e;cursor:pointer;opacity:0.7;transition:opacity 0.2s;';\n btn.onmouseover = function() { this.style.opacity = '1'; };\n btn.onmouseout = function() { this.style.opacity = '0.7'; };\n btn.onclick = function() {\n navigator.clipboard.writeText(codeBlock.textContent).then(function() {\n btn.textContent = 'Copied!';\n setTimeout(function() { btn.textContent = 'Copy'; }, 1500);\n });\n };\n codeBlock.parentElement.style.position = 'relative';\n codeBlock.parentElement.appendChild(btn);\n });\n }\n \n addCopyButtons();\n \n // Re-run on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(addCopyButtons);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Add Copy Buttons to Code Blocks");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Add Copy Buttons to Code Blocks]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "github.com";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + "github\\.com" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

Conversation

@chr-hertel

Copy link
Copy Markdown
Member

Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

CopilotAI left a comment

Copy link
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Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Force GitHub README to respect dark mode\n(function() {\n var style = document.createElement('style');\n style.textContent = '\n .markdown-body {\n color-scheme: dark light;\n }\n .markdown-body pre { background: #161b22 !important; }\n .markdown-body code { background: rgba(110, 118, 129, 0.4) !important; }\n .markdown-body table th, .markdown-body table td { border-color: #30363d !important; }\n .markdown-body img { background: #0d1117; }\n .markdown-body blockquote { border-left-color: #8b949e; }\n .markdown-body hr { border-color: #30363d; }\n ';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n})();", "GitHub Dark Mode README Fix"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:GitHub Dark Mode README Fix]', __e); } })(); (function(){ try { var __m = "*"; var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

Conversation

@chr-hertel

Copy link
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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

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bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

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@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Highlight search terms from Google/DuckDuckGo/Bing referrer\n(function() {\n var ref = document.referrer;\n var terms = [];\n \n if (ref.includes('google.com') || ref.includes('duckduckgo.com') || ref.includes('bing.com')) {\n var url = new URL(ref);\n var q = url.searchParams.get('q') || url.searchParams.get('p');\n if (q) {\n terms = q.split(/\\s+/).filter(function(t) { return t.length > 2; });\n }\n }\n \n if (terms.length === 0) return;\n \n var style = document.createElement('style');\n style.textContent = '.userscript-highlight { background: #fbbf24; color: #1a1a2e; padding: 1px 3px; border-radius: 2px; }';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n \n function highlight(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 3) { // text node\n var text = node.textContent;\n var found = false;\n terms.forEach(function(term) {\n var regex = new RegExp('(' + term.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\\]\\\\]/g, '\\\\') + ')', 'gi');\n if (regex.test(text)) {\n found = true;\n var frag = document.createDocumentFragment();\n var parts = text.split(regex);\n parts.forEach(function(part, i) {\n if (i % 2 === 0) {\n frag.appendChild(document.createTextNode(part));\n } else {\n var span = document.createElement('span');\n span.className = 'userscript-highlight';\n span.textContent = part;\n frag.appendChild(span);\n }\n });\n node.parentNode.replaceChild(frag, node);\n }\n });\n } else if (node.nodeType === 1 && node.childNodes) { // element\n var skipTags = ['SCRIPT', 'STYLE', 'NOSCRIPT', 'TEXTAREA', 'INPUT', 'SELECT'];\n if (!skipTags.includes(node.tagName)) {\n Array.from(node.childNodes).forEach(highlight);\n }\n }\n }\n \n highlight(document.body);\n \n // Re-highlight on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n mutations.forEach(function(m) {\n m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 1 || node.nodeType === 3) highlight(node);\n });\n });\n });\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Highlight Search Terms"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Highlight Search Terms]', __e); } })(); (function(){ try { var __m = "*"; var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

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chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

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@chr-hertel

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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

CopilotAI left a comment

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Strip utm_, fbclid, gclid, etc. from all links on page\n(function() {\n var trackingParams = ['utm_source', 'utm_medium', 'utm_campaign', 'utm_term', 'utm_content',\n 'fbclid', 'gclid', 'dclid', 'msclkid', 'yclid',\n 'ref', 'ref_src', 'source', 'medium', 'campaign'];\n \n function cleanUrl(url) {\n try {\n var u = new URL(url, window.location.origin);\n var changed = false;\n trackingParams.forEach(function(p) {\n if (u.searchParams.has(p)) {\n u.searchParams.delete(p);\n changed = true;\n }\n });\n return changed ? u.toString() : url;\n } catch (e) {\n return url;\n }\n }\n \n function cleanLinks() {\n document.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {\n var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);\n if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;\n });\n }\n \n cleanLinks();\n \n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n mutations.forEach(function(m) {\n m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 1) {\n if (node.tagName === 'A') cleanLinks();\n node.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {\n var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);\n if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;\n });\n }\n });\n });\n });\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Remove Tracking Parameters from Links"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Remove Tracking Parameters from Links]', __e); } })(); (function(){ try { var __m = "youtube.com"; var __re = new RegExp('^' + "youtube\\.com" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

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@chr-hertel

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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Auto-enable theater mode on YouTube\n(function() {\n function tryTheater() {\n var btn = document.querySelector('button[aria-label=\"Theater mode\"], ytd-player #player button[title=\"Theater mode\"]');\n if (btn && !btn.classList.contains('activated')) {\n btn.click();\n }\n }\n \n // Try immediately\n tryTheater();\n \n // Try after navigation (SPA)\n var lastUrl = location.href;\n setInterval(function() {\n if (location.href !== lastUrl) {\n lastUrl = location.href;\n setTimeout(tryTheater, 500);\n }\n }, 1000);\n \n // Also try on player load\n var observer = new MutationObserver(tryTheater);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "YouTube Theater Mode Default"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:YouTube Theater Mode Default]', __e); } })(); (function(){ try { var __m = "*"; var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

Conversation

@chr-hertel

Copy link
Copy Markdown
Member

Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

CopilotAI left a comment

Copy link
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Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
Sign up for freeto join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment

Labels

bugSomething isn't workingClientIssues & PRs related to the Client component

Projects

None yet

Development

Successfully merging this pull request may close these issues.

2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Remove or un-stick sticky/fixed headers that block content\n(function() {\n function unstick() {\n document.querySelectorAll('header, nav, [role=\"banner\"], .header, .navbar, .sticky, .fixed-top, [style*=\"position: fixed\"], [style*=\"position:sticky\"]').forEach(function(el) {\n if (el.style.position === 'fixed' || el.style.position === 'sticky' || \n getComputedStyle(el).position === 'fixed' || getComputedStyle(el).position === 'sticky') {\n el.style.position = 'static';\n el.style.top = 'auto';\n el.style.zIndex = 'auto';\n }\n });\n }\n \n unstick();\n \n var observer = new MutationObserver(unstick);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true, attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['style', 'class'] });\n})();", "Kill Sticky Headers"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Kill Sticky Headers]', __e); } })(); (function(){ try { var __m = "*"; var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

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@chr-hertel

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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
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2 participants

@chr-hertel
, 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Universal Dark Mode - works on any site\n(function() {\n var enabled = true;\n \n function applyDarkMode() {\n if (!enabled) return;\n \n // Create style element if it doesn't exist\n var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');\n if (!style) {\n style = document.createElement('style');\n style.id = 'universal-dark-mode-style';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n }\n \n // Dark mode CSS - inverts colors but preserves images/video\n style.textContent = '\n /* Invert everything except media */\n html {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n background: #1a1a2e !important;\n }\n \n /* Restore images, videos, iframes, canvas */\n img, video, iframe, canvas, svg, picture, [style*=\"background-image\"] {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n }\n \n /* Preserve specific elements that should not be inverted */\n .no-dark-mode, .no-dark-mode *,\n [data-theme=\"light\"], [data-theme=\"light\"],\n .ace_editor, .ace_editor *,\n .CodeMirror, .CodeMirror *,\n .monaco-editor, .monaco-editor *,\n .markdown-body pre, .markdown-body pre *,\n .highlight, .highlight *,\n pre code, pre code * {\n filter: none !important;\n }\n \n /* Fix common UI elements */\n .modal, .popup, .dropdown-menu, .tooltip, .popover {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n background: #2d2d44 !important;\n border-color: #444 !important;\n }\n \n /* Scrollbars */\n ::-webkit-scrollbar { background: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { background: #444 !important; }\n ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover { background: #555 !important; }\n \n /* Selection */\n ::selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ::-moz-selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ';\n }\n \n function removeDarkMode() {\n var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');\n if (style) style.remove();\n }\n \n // Toggle with Alt+Shift+D\n document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {\n if (e.altKey && e.shiftKey && e.key === 'D') {\n e.preventDefault();\n enabled = !enabled;\n if (enabled) {\n applyDarkMode();\n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Enabled');\n } else {\n removeDarkMode();\n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Disabled');\n }\n }\n });\n \n // Apply on load\n applyDarkMode();\n \n // Re-apply on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n if (enabled && !document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style')) {\n applyDarkMode();\n }\n });\n observer.observe(document.head, { childList: true });\n \n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Loaded - Press Alt+Shift+D to toggle');\n})();", "Universal Dark Mode"); } } catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Universal Dark Mode]', __e); } })(); })();
Skip to content

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries - #413

Merged
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries
Aug 15, 2026
Merged

[Client] Implement setMaxRetries connection retries#413
chr-hertel merged 7 commits into
modelcontextprotocol:mainfrom
chr-hertel:fix/client-max-retries

Conversation

@chr-hertel

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Client\Builder::setMaxRetries() has never had an implementation — it was added in the initial client commit, stored on Configuration, and read by nothing, so the documented "retry attempts for failed connections" never happened.

Client::connect() now retries a failed attempt, closing the transport in between so a retry gets a fresh process / drops the failed HTTP session, with a short linear backoff. The value counts retries rather than attempts, and 0 disables retrying.

This also fixes a prerequisite bug in Client\Protocol::request(): only the response path cleared a pending request, so one that timed out stayed pending forever and made every following request fail as timed out immediately — which would have made retries useless on the timeout path.

@chr-hertelchr-hertel added bug Something isn't working Client Issues & PRs related to the Client component labels Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertelchr-hertel added this to the 0.8.0 milestone Aug 10, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel requested a balanced review from CopilotAugust 10, 2026 23:44

CopilotAI left a comment

Copy link
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Choose a reason for hiding this comment

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Pull request overview

Implements configurable client connection retries and fixes stale pending requests after timeouts.

Changes:

  • Adds connection retry, cleanup, and linear backoff behavior.
  • Validates retry configuration and documents its semantics.
  • Adds unit coverage for retries, exhaustion, and timeout recovery.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file
FileDescription
src/Client.phpImplements connection retries and backoff.
src/Client/Builder.phpClarifies retry configuration semantics.
src/Client/Configuration.phpRejects negative retry counts.
src/Client/Protocol.phpCleans up pending requests reliably.
tests/Unit/ClientTest.phpTests connection retry behavior.
docs/client.mdDocuments connection retries.

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.

Comment threadsrc/Client.php
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.8.0, 0.9.0Aug 14, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertelforce-pushed the fix/client-max-retries branch from 7deffba to 30c6d35CompareAugust 15, 2026 00:30
The retry fixture counts the processes it was started as, which is what
separates a real retry from a second call into the same server. The timeout
fixture outlives the client's patience and then goes idle, so the next
request runs on a connection the client already gave up on once.
@chr-hertelchr-hertel modified the milestones: 0.9.0, 0.8.0Aug 15, 2026
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel merged commit d8cc21a into modelcontextprotocol:mainAug 15, 2026
23 checks passed
@chr-hertel
chr-hertel deleted the fix/client-max-retries branch August 15, 2026 00:43
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 15, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
chr-hertel added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 19, 2026
* [Docs] Render guides with Zensical, deploy via GitHub Pages actions
phpDocumentor's guide renderer copies the markdown through mostly verbatim:
relative links between pages keep pointing at `*.md` targets that do not exist
in the built site, and nothing validates them, so the published guides are full
of dead links.
Zensical (the Material for MkDocs team's successor to MkDocs) resolves internal
links against the page tree and fails the build on a broken one. `zensical
build --strict` already found four dead links on the first run — three
repo-relative links escaping docs/ (fixed to point at GitHub) and one wrong
in-page anchor.
phpDocumentor stays on for the class-level API reference only; `make docs`
builds the guides into site/ and mounts the reference at site/api/, so its two
header links back to the guides now target the site root.
Deployment moves from pushing a gh-pages branch to the official GitHub Pages
actions, and from release-only to every push on main, with pull requests
building (but not deploying) so a broken link fails review instead of the site.
NOTE: this needs the repository's Pages source switched to "GitHub Actions"
(Settings -> Pages) once.
* [Docs] Adopt the Python SDK's documentation look and feel
The docs site now uses the same theme configuration as
https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/ so the language SDKs read as one set
of docs: the MCP mark as logo and favicon, Inter/JetBrains Mono, the
black/slate palette with a three-way (system/light/dark) toggle, instant
navigation, code copy/annotate, and a right-hand table of contents.
The markdown extension set is widened to the same list (tabbed blocks,
task lists, footnotes, emoji/icons, mermaid fences), which the content
restructure builds on.
Styling is otherwise stock: no custom stylesheet, and Zensical's own
`modern` theme variant, pinned explicitly rather than left to the default.
The one departure is code highlighting, which is broken out of the box here:
Pygments only highlights PHP after a `<?php` tag, so the guides — whose code
blocks are almost all fragments — rendered as flat plain text. The `php`
lexer is extended with `startinline`, and complete-file blocks use a
`php-file` lexer that keeps the literal open tag highlighted.
* [Docs] Restructure the guides into task-oriented sections
The guides were ten flat pages, each opening with a hand-maintained table of
contents and each mixing several audiences: `mcp-elements.md` covered tools,
prompts, schema generation and handler-side logging, `transports.md` covered
both transports plus framework integration, and `server-builder.md` covered
configuration, sessions and custom message handlers.
They are now split along the same lines as the Python SDK's documentation
(https://py.sdk.modelcontextprotocol.io/), one topic per page:
Get started installation, first server, the Inspector
Servers tools, resources, resource templates, prompts,
completions, schema generation, registration
Inside your handler the ClientGateway, logging
Running your server builder, STDIO, HTTP, framework integration,
sessions, authorization
Clients connecting, transports, capabilities, server-initiated
requests, error handling
Advanced events, protocol extensions, custom message handlers
Prose is carried over as-is apart from the seams; what is new is the landing
page and one index page per section, which say what the section is for and
where to go next, so no page is a dead end.
The per-page "Table of Contents" lists are gone — the theme renders one from
the headings — and GitHub's `> [!IMPORTANT]` blockquotes became admonitions,
which Zensical renders as callouts rather than plain quotes.
Every code sample and factual claim was then checked against src/ and the
runnable examples, which turned up long-standing errors in the carried-over
prose. Samples that could not run: a prompt using a `system` role (MCP has
only user/assistant), `Mcp\Schema\PromptMessage` (it is under `Schema\Content`)
constructed with an array instead of a single content object,
`Mcp\Capability\Prompt\Completion\ProviderInterface` (it is
`Mcp\Capability\Completion\ProviderInterface`), `new EmbeddedResource(type:,
resource: [...])` (neither parameter exists), a `: resource` return type
(not a PHP type), `#[McpResource]` with a `{path}` variable (that is a
template), a stray quote in the builder example, a `middlewares:` argument
(it is `middleware:`), and `getRequest()->getAttribute()` in the OAuth guide
(no such method — the values arrive on the request meta). Claims corrected:
sampling's `system_prompt` option (it is `systemPrompt`), `SampleMessage`
(it is `SamplingMessage`), `Notification` called an interface (abstract
class), "parameter order matters" for URI templates (bound by name), full
RFC 6570 support (only simple `{var}`), the tool description fallback chain,
`void` returning empty content, a non-zero STDIO exit code, `ErrorEvent`
being null for parse errors, handlers being "prepended", `Psr16StoreSession`,
and PSR-3 log context being sent to the client (it is dropped). Sixteen
`examples/` paths were missing their `server/` segment.
README, the OAuth ADR and one source comment now point at the published site
instead of at markdown files that moved.
* [Docs] Run the docs workflow unfiltered, keep README links relative
The `paths:` filters were mostly noise: `src/**` had to be in the list for
the phpDocumentor build, which meant the workflow ran on nearly every PR
anyway. They also missed two real inputs — `.phpdoc/template/**` and
`composer.lock` — so a template tweak or a phpDocumentor bump could change
the rendered site without triggering a build.
README links go back to relative repo paths. The README is not part of the
Zensical site (`docs_dir` is `docs/`), so those links are only ever resolved
by GitHub and Packagist, where absolute URLs break in-repo navigation for no
gain. The site pointer and the generated API reference stay absolute.
* [Docs] Adopt the doc changes that landed on main into the new structure
Twelve commits landed while the restructure was open, seven of them touching
the flat guides this branch replaces. Renames merged on their own; the three
files that were split apart needed their new sections placed by hand:
- Connection retries, protocol version negotiation, sampling with tools and
roots from `client.md` into `client/connecting.md` and
`client/server-requests.md`
- `ResourceLink` and structured output from `mcp-elements.md` into
`servers/tools.md`
- Protocol version negotiation from `server-builder.md` into
`run/server-builder.md`
The `setMaxRetries()` note claiming the value is never acted on is gone —
#413 implemented it. Callouts became admonitions and cross-links were
repointed at the new paths, as everywhere else in this branch.
* [Docs] Document the elicitation and roots client examples
Both were missing from the examples guide: the elicitation client predates
this branch, the roots client arrived with #395.
* [Docs] Fold the 2026-07-28 lifecycle into the new structure
Main's stateless-lifecycle.md becomes a docs/lifecycle/ section, and the pages
main touched — deprecations, the middleware split, the client's modern era —
land where the restructure moved them.
* [Docs] Link the Inspector to its documentation, not its repo
* [Docs] Distribute the 2026-07-28 material into the task sections
The Python and TypeScript SDKs file each feature where the task lives and keep
only an era comparison on its own page. Follow them: input-required moves next
to the other handler concerns, caching, subscriptions and era routing to
"Running your server", and one Protocol versions page carries the rest.
* [Docs] Move protocol version negotiation onto the Protocol versions page
The builder page keeps the setProtocolVersion() knob and links out; how a
revision is agreed now sits beside the era it belongs to.
* [Docs] Slim the README to a funnel, turn Examples into an index
* [Docs] Fix the code samples and API listings flagged by the audit
* [Docs] Link the negotiation spec section at latest, not draft
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@chr-hertel