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| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
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| --- | ||
| title: MCP Tasks | ||
| description: Asynchronous task execution for long-running MCP operations | ||
| --- | ||
|
|
||
| The [experimental-ext-tasks repository](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-tasks) contains the full specification and documentation for MCP Tasks. | ||
|
|
||
| <Card | ||
| title="modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-tasks" | ||
| icon="github" | ||
| href="https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-tasks" | ||
| > | ||
| Full specification and documentation for MCP Tasks. | ||
| </Card> | ||
|
|
||
| Not every tool call returns instantly. Some operations — CI pipelines, batch | ||
| processing, human approvals — take seconds, minutes, or longer. MCP Tasks let | ||
| servers return a durable handle instead of blocking, so clients can poll for | ||
| progress, provide input when needed, and retrieve the final result after | ||
| reconnecting. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Why not just block? | ||
|
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||
| You could hold the connection open until the work finishes. Tasks solve | ||
| problems that blocking cannot: | ||
|
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| - **No long-lived connections.** Blocking ties up a connection for the duration | ||
| of the operation. Many clients and transport intermediaries impose timeouts | ||
| that make this impractical beyond a few seconds. | ||
| - **Crash resilience.** A task ID is a durable handle. If the client | ||
| disconnects or restarts, it can resume polling with the same ID. | ||
| - **Progress visibility.** Tasks carry status metadata (`working`, | ||
| `input_required`, `completed`, `failed`, `cancelled`) and optional status | ||
| messages, giving clients visibility into progress. | ||
| - **Mid-flight interaction.** When a task needs input (e.g., an elicitation for | ||
| user confirmation), it moves to `input_required` and surfaces the request. | ||
| The client responds via `tasks/update` — no second connection or unsolicited | ||
| server-to-client messages required. | ||
| - **Server-directed.** The server decides per-request whether to create a task. | ||
| Clients opt in once via the extension capability and handle whichever result | ||
| shape arrives. No per-tool warmup or per-request flag. | ||
|
|
||
| ## How Tasks work | ||
|
|
||
| Tasks extend the standard request flow. When a server decides a request will be | ||
| long-running, it returns a task handle instead of the final result. The client | ||
| polls for completion. | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Capability negotiation.** The client includes | ||
| `io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks` in its per-request capabilities. The server | ||
| advertises the same extension in its own `server/discover` capabilities. | ||
|
|
||
| 2. **Task creation.** In response to a supported request, the server returns a | ||
| `CreateTaskResult` (identified by `resultType: "task"`) containing a `taskId`, | ||
| initial status, TTL, and suggested polling interval. The task is durably | ||
| created before the response is sent. | ||
|
|
||
| 3. **Polling.** The client calls `tasks/get` with the `taskId`. The response | ||
| carries the current status and, for terminal states, the final result or | ||
| error. | ||
|
|
||
| 4. **Mid-flight input.** If the task moves to `input_required`, the `tasks/get` | ||
| response includes an `inputRequests` map with elicitations or other server | ||
| requests. The client fulfills these via `tasks/update`. | ||
|
|
||
| 5. **Completion.** When the status reaches `completed`, the `result` field | ||
| contains what the original request would have returned synchronously. If the | ||
| status is `failed`, the `error` field contains the JSON-RPC error. | ||
|
|
||
| 6. **Cancellation.** The client can send `tasks/cancel` at any time. | ||
| Cancellation is cooperative — the server acknowledges the intent but is not | ||
| obligated to stop the work. | ||
|
|
||
| ```mermaid | ||
| sequenceDiagram | ||
| participant Client | ||
| participant Server | ||
|
|
||
| Client->>Server: tools/call (with tasks capability) | ||
| Server-->>Client: CreateTaskResult (taskId, status: working) | ||
|
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||
| loop Poll until terminal | ||
| Client->>Server: tasks/get (taskId) | ||
| Server-->>Client: Task (status: working) | ||
| end | ||
|
|
||
| Note over Client,Server: Server needs user input | ||
| Client->>Server: tasks/get (taskId) | ||
| Server-->>Client: Task (status: input_required, inputRequests) | ||
| Client->>Server: tasks/update (taskId, inputResponses) | ||
| Server-->>Client: ack | ||
|
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||
| loop Poll until terminal | ||
| Client->>Server: tasks/get (taskId) | ||
| Server-->>Client: Task (status: working) | ||
| end | ||
|
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||
| Client->>Server: tasks/get (taskId) | ||
| Server-->>Client: Task (status: completed, result) | ||
| ``` | ||
|
|
||
| ## When to use Tasks | ||
|
|
||
| Tasks are a good fit when your use case involves: | ||
|
|
||
| **Long-running operations.** CI pipelines, batch data processing, or model | ||
| training jobs that take minutes or hours. | ||
|
|
||
| **Human-in-the-loop workflows.** Approval gates, review steps, or any operation | ||
| that pauses for user confirmation. The task moves to `input_required` and the | ||
| client presents the request. | ||
|
|
||
| **External job systems.** If your server wraps an API that already uses job IDs | ||
| (cloud deployments, async APIs, queued work), return a task when you create the | ||
| job and resolve it when the job completes. | ||
|
|
||
| **Unreliable connections.** Mobile clients, intermittent networks, or | ||
| environments where connections drop. Task IDs survive disconnects. | ||
|
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||
| **Batch processing.** Operations that process many items (bulk imports, mass | ||
| updates) where partial progress is meaningful. Status messages report progress. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Task lifecycle | ||
|
|
||
| | Status | Meaning | | ||
| | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ||
| | `working` | The operation is in progress. | | ||
| | `input_required` | The server needs client input before continuing. See `inputRequests`. | | ||
| | `completed` | The operation finished. The `result` field contains the final output. | | ||
| | `failed` | A JSON-RPC error occurred during execution. The `error` field has details. | | ||
| | `cancelled` | The operation was cancelled (not always honored). | | ||
|
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||
| `completed`, `failed`, and `cancelled` are terminal — once reached, the task's | ||
| state does not change. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Notifications | ||
|
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||
| Servers can push status updates via `notifications/tasks/status`. Clients opt | ||
| into these through the `subscriptions/listen` mechanism. Each notification | ||
| carries the full task state, eliminating the need for an extra `tasks/get` | ||
| round-trip. | ||
|
|
||
| Polling is the default. If a server supports notifications, clients can rely on | ||
| them instead of polling. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Implementation guide | ||
|
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||
| ### For MCP clients | ||
|
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| To consume task-augmented responses, your client must: | ||
|
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| <Steps> | ||
| <Step title="Declare support"> | ||
|
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| Include the extension in per-request capabilities: | ||
|
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||
| ```json | ||
| { | ||
| "params": { | ||
| "_meta": { | ||
| "io.modelcontextprotocol/clientCapabilities": { | ||
| "extensions": { | ||
| "io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks": {} | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| ``` | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Handle polymorphic results"> | ||
|
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||
| When issuing a supported request (e.g., `tools/call`), be prepared to receive | ||
| either the standard result or a `CreateTaskResult` with `resultType: "task"`. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Poll for completion"> | ||
|
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| Call `tasks/get` with the returned `taskId`, respecting the `pollIntervalMs` | ||
| value. Continue polling until the task reaches a terminal status (`completed`, | ||
| `failed`, or `cancelled`). | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Handle input requests"> | ||
|
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| If the task status is `input_required`, read the `inputRequests` map, present | ||
| the requests to the user or model, and submit responses via `tasks/update`. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Persist task IDs"> | ||
|
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| Store task IDs durably so polling can resume after a client crash or restart. | ||
|
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| </Step> | ||
| </Steps> | ||
|
|
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| ### For MCP servers | ||
|
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| To return tasks from your server: | ||
|
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||
| <Steps> | ||
| <Step title="Advertise support"> | ||
|
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| Include the extension in your `server/discover` capabilities: | ||
|
|
||
| ```json | ||
| { | ||
| "capabilities": { | ||
| "extensions": { | ||
| "io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks": {} | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| } | ||
| ``` | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Check client capabilities"> | ||
|
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| Before returning a `CreateTaskResult`, verify that the client included the | ||
| extension in its per-request capabilities. Never return a task to a client that | ||
| did not declare support. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Return CreateTaskResult"> | ||
|
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| When a request will be long-running, respond with `resultType: "task"` and a | ||
| `Task` object containing a unique `taskId`, initial status, `ttlMs`, and | ||
| `pollIntervalMs`. The task must be durably created before sending the response. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Serve tasks/get"> | ||
|
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| Return the current task state on each poll. For terminal states, include the | ||
| `result` (on `completed`) or `error` (on `failed`) field. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Handle tasks/update"> | ||
|
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| Accept `inputResponses` keyed to outstanding `inputRequests`. Acknowledge with | ||
| an empty result. Ignore responses for unknown or already-satisfied keys. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| <Step title="Handle tasks/cancel"> | ||
|
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| Acknowledge cancellation requests with an empty result. Honor them when | ||
| possible, but cancellation is cooperative — the task may still reach a | ||
| non-`cancelled` terminal status. | ||
|
|
||
| </Step> | ||
| </Steps> | ||
|
|
||
| ## Client support | ||
|
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| <Note> | ||
|
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| MCP Tasks is an extension to the [core MCP specification](/specification). Host | ||
| support varies by client. | ||
|
|
||
| </Note> | ||
|
|
||
| See the [client matrix](/extensions/client-matrix) for extension support across | ||
| clients. Task support requires explicit opt-in from both client and server. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Specification | ||
|
|
||
| The Tasks extension is specified in the [experimental-ext-tasks repository](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/experimental-ext-tasks). It uses the standard MCP [extension negotiation](/extensions/overview#negotiation) mechanism: clients and servers declare support in the `extensions` field of their capabilities during initialization. | ||
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Would love for my mcp server to be able to attach p50/p90/p95 metrics to a task to help shape the polling frequency of the harness. where would be the appropriate place to submit this proposal?