v2 backwards compat: SdkError status code (#2049)

Author: KKonstantinov

.changeset/add-sdk-http-error.md

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+"@modelcontextprotocol/core": minor
+"@modelcontextprotocol/client": minor
+---
+
+Add `SdkHttpError` subclass with typed `.status` / `.statusText` accessors for HTTP transport failures. `StreamableHTTPClientTransport` now throws `SdkHttpError` (which extends `SdkError`) for non-OK HTTP responses; `SSEClientTransport` throws `SdkHttpError` for 401-after-reauth (circuit breaker).

docs/migration-SKILL.md

@@ -95,18 +95,19 @@ Notes:
 | `ErrorCode`                              | `ProtocolErrorCode`                                                                                             |
 | `ErrorCode.RequestTimeout`               | `SdkErrorCode.RequestTimeout`                                                                                   |
 | `ErrorCode.ConnectionClosed`             | `SdkErrorCode.ConnectionClosed`                                                                                 |
-| `StreamableHTTPError`                    | REMOVED (use `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttp*`)                                                        |
+| `StreamableHTTPError`                    | REMOVED (use `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttp*`)                                                    |
 | `WebSocketClientTransport`               | REMOVED (use `StreamableHTTPClientTransport` or `StdioClientTransport`)                                         |
 
 All other **type** symbols from `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js` retain their original names. **Zod schemas** (e.g., `CallToolResultSchema`, `ListToolsResultSchema`) are no longer part of the public API — they are internal to the SDK. For runtime validation, use
 `isSpecType.TypeName(value)` (e.g., `isSpecType.CallToolResult(v)`) or `specTypeSchemas.TypeName` for the `StandardSchemaV1Sync` validator object. The keys are typed as `SpecTypeName`, a literal union of all spec type names.
 
 ### Error class changes
 
-Two error classes now exist:
+Three error classes now exist:
 
 - **`ProtocolError`** (renamed from `McpError`): Protocol errors that cross the wire as JSON-RPC responses
 - **`SdkError`** (new): Local SDK errors that never cross the wire
+- **`SdkHttpError`** (extends `SdkError`): HTTP transport errors with typed `.status` and `.statusText` accessors
 
 | Error scenario                    | v1 type                                      | v2 type                                                           |
 | --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
@@ -115,12 +116,12 @@ Two error classes now exist:
 | Capability not supported          | `new Error(...)`                             | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.CapabilityNotSupported`             |
 | Not connected                     | `new Error('Not connected')`                 | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.NotConnected`                       |
 | Invalid params (server response)  | `McpError` with `ErrorCode.InvalidParams`    | `ProtocolError` with `ProtocolErrorCode.InvalidParams`            |
-| HTTP transport error              | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttp*`                        |
-| Failed to open SSE stream         | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream`       |
-| 401 after re-auth (circuit break) | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication`           |
-| 403 after upscoping               | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpForbidden`                |
+| HTTP transport error              | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttp*`                    |
+| Failed to open SSE stream         | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream`   |
+| 401 after re-auth (circuit break) | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication`       |
+| 403 after upscoping               | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpForbidden`            |
 | Unexpected content type           | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpUnexpectedContent`        |
-| Session termination failed        | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToTerminateSession` |
+| Session termination failed        | `StreamableHTTPError`                        | `SdkHttpError` with `SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToTerminateSession` |
 | Response result fails schema      | `ZodError` (raw)                             | `SdkError` with `SdkErrorCode.InvalidResult`                      |
 
 New `SdkErrorCode` enum values:
@@ -161,9 +162,17 @@ if (error instanceof StreamableHTTPError) {
 }
 
 // v2
-import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/client';
-if (error instanceof SdkError && error.code === SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream) {
-    const status = (error.data as { status?: number })?.status;
+import { SdkHttpError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/client';
+if (error instanceof SdkHttpError) {
+    console.log('HTTP status:', error.status);     // number — typed accessor
+    console.log('Status text:', error.statusText); // string | undefined
+    switch (error.code) {
+        case SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication:    // 401 after re-auth
+        case SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpForbidden:         // 403 after upscoping
+        case SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream:
+        case SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpNotImplemented:
+            break;
+    }
 }
 ```
 

docs/migration.md

@@ -652,10 +652,11 @@ These replace the pattern of calling `server.sendLoggingMessage()`, `server.crea
 
 ### Error hierarchy refactoring
 
-The SDK now distinguishes between two types of errors:
+The SDK now distinguishes between three types of errors:
 
 1. **`ProtocolError`** (renamed from `McpError`): Protocol errors that cross the wire as JSON-RPC error responses
 2. **`SdkError`**: Local SDK errors that never cross the wire (timeouts, connection issues, capability checks)
+3. **`SdkHttpError`** (extends `SdkError`): HTTP transport errors with typed `.status` and `.statusText` accessors
 
 #### Renamed exports
 
@@ -725,7 +726,7 @@ The new `SdkErrorCode` enum contains string-valued codes for local SDK errors:
 
 #### `StreamableHTTPError` removed
 
-The `StreamableHTTPError` class has been removed. HTTP transport errors are now thrown as `SdkError` with specific `SdkErrorCode` values that provide more granular error information:
+The `StreamableHTTPError` class has been removed. HTTP transport errors are now thrown as `SdkHttpError` (a subclass of `SdkError` with typed `.status` and `.statusText` accessors) with specific `SdkErrorCode` values that provide more granular error information:
 
 **Before (v1):**
 
@@ -744,12 +745,14 @@ try {
 **After (v2):**
 
 ```typescript
-import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/client';
+import { SdkHttpError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/client';
 
 try {
     await transport.send(message);
 } catch (error) {
-    if (error instanceof SdkError) {
+    if (error instanceof SdkHttpError) {
+        console.log('HTTP status:', error.status);     // number — no cast needed
+        console.log('Status text:', error.statusText); // string | undefined
         switch (error.code) {
             case SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication:
                 console.log('Auth failed — server rejected token after re-auth');
@@ -764,8 +767,6 @@ try {
                 console.log('HTTP request failed');
                 break;
         }
-        // Access HTTP status code from error.data if needed
-        const httpStatus = (error.data as { status?: number })?.status;
     }
 }
 ```

packages/client/src/client/sse.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 import type { FetchLike, JSONRPCMessage, Transport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
-import { createFetchWithInit, JSONRPCMessageSchema, normalizeHeaders, SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
+import {
+    createFetchWithInit,
+    JSONRPCMessageSchema,
+    normalizeHeaders,
+    SdkError,
+    SdkErrorCode,
+    SdkHttpError
+} from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
 import type { ErrorEvent, EventSourceInit } from 'eventsource';
 import { EventSource } from 'eventsource';
 
@@ -286,8 +293,9 @@ export class SSEClientTransport implements Transport {
                     }
                     await response.text?.().catch(() => {});
                     if (isAuthRetry) {
-                        throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
-                            status: 401
+                        throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
+                            status: 401,
+                            statusText: response.statusText
                         });
                     }
                     throw new UnauthorizedError();

packages/client/src/client/streamableHttp.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ import {
     JSONRPCMessageSchema,
     normalizeHeaders,
     SdkError,
-    SdkErrorCode
+    SdkErrorCode,
+    SdkHttpError
 } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
 import { EventSourceParserStream } from 'eventsource-parser/stream';
 
@@ -273,8 +274,9 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
                     }
                     await response.text?.().catch(() => {});
                     if (isAuthRetry) {
-                        throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
-                            status: 401
+                        throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
+                            status: 401,
+                            statusText: response.statusText
                         });
                     }
                     throw new UnauthorizedError();
@@ -288,7 +290,7 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
                     return;
                 }
 
-                throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream, `Failed to open SSE stream: ${response.statusText}`, {
+                throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToOpenStream, `Failed to open SSE stream: ${response.statusText}`, {
                     status: response.status,
                     statusText: response.statusText
                 });
@@ -581,8 +583,9 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
                     }
                     await response.text?.().catch(() => {});
                     if (isAuthRetry) {
-                        throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
-                            status: 401
+                        throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication, 'Server returned 401 after re-authentication', {
+                            status: 401,
+                            statusText: response.statusText
                         });
                     }
                     throw new UnauthorizedError();
@@ -598,8 +601,9 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
 
                         // Check if we've already tried upscoping with this header to prevent infinite loops.
                         if (this._lastUpscopingHeader === wwwAuthHeader) {
-                            throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpForbidden, 'Server returned 403 after trying upscoping', {
+                            throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpForbidden, 'Server returned 403 after trying upscoping', {
                                 status: 403,
+                                statusText: response.statusText,
                                 text
                             });
                         }
@@ -629,8 +633,9 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
                     }
                 }
 
-                throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpNotImplemented, `Error POSTing to endpoint: ${text}`, {
+                throw new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpNotImplemented, `Error POSTing to endpoint: ${text}`, {
                     status: response.status,
+                    statusText: response.statusText,
                     text
                 });
             }
@@ -725,10 +730,14 @@ export class StreamableHTTPClientTransport implements Transport {
             // We specifically handle 405 as a valid response according to the spec,
             // meaning the server does not support explicit session termination
             if (!response.ok && response.status !== 405) {
-                throw new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToTerminateSession, `Failed to terminate session: ${response.statusText}`, {
-                    status: response.status,
-                    statusText: response.statusText
-                });
+                throw new SdkHttpError(
+                    SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpFailedToTerminateSession,
+                    `Failed to terminate session: ${response.statusText}`,
+                    {
+                        status: response.status,
+                        statusText: response.statusText
+                    }
+                );
             }
 
             this._sessionId = undefined;

packages/client/test/client/sse.test.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { createServer } from 'node:http';
 import type { AddressInfo } from 'node:net';
 
 import type { JSONRPCMessage, OAuthTokens } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
-import { OAuthError, OAuthErrorCode, SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
+import { OAuthError, OAuthErrorCode, SdkErrorCode, SdkHttpError } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
 import { listenOnRandomPort } from '@modelcontextprotocol/test-helpers';
 import type { Mock, Mocked, MockedFunction, MockInstance } from 'vitest';
 
@@ -1575,7 +1575,7 @@ describe('SSEClientTransport', () => {
             await expect(transport.send(message)).rejects.toThrow(UnauthorizedError);
         });
 
-        it('enforces circuit breaker on double-401: onUnauthorized called once, then throws SdkError', async () => {
+        it('enforces circuit breaker on double-401: onUnauthorized called once, then throws SdkHttpError', async () => {
             postResponses = [401, 401];
             await setupServer();
 
@@ -1587,8 +1587,9 @@ describe('SSEClientTransport', () => {
             await transport.start();
 
             const error = await transport.send(message).catch(e => e);
-            expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkError);
-            expect((error as SdkError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+            expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkHttpError);
+            expect((error as SdkHttpError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+            expect((error as SdkHttpError).status).toBe(401);
             expect(authProvider.onUnauthorized).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
             expect(postCount).toBe(2);
         });

packages/client/test/client/streamableHttp.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { JSONRPCMessage, JSONRPCRequest } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
-import { OAuthError, OAuthErrorCode, SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
+import { OAuthError, OAuthErrorCode, SdkErrorCode, SdkHttpError } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
 import type { Mock, Mocked } from 'vitest';
 
 import type { OAuthClientProvider } from '../../src/client/auth.js';
@@ -240,8 +240,9 @@ describe('StreamableHTTPClientTransport', () => {
         transport.onerror = errorSpy;
 
         await expect(transport.send(message)).rejects.toThrow(
-            new SdkError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpNotImplemented, 'Error POSTing to endpoint: Session not found', {
+            new SdkHttpError(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpNotImplemented, 'Error POSTing to endpoint: Session not found', {
                 status: 404,
+                statusText: 'Not Found',
                 text: 'Session not found'
             })
         );
@@ -1871,8 +1872,9 @@ describe('StreamableHTTPClientTransport', () => {
                 .mockResolvedValueOnce(unauthedResponse);
 
             const error = await transport.send(message).catch(e => e);
-            expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkError);
-            expect((error as SdkError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+            expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkHttpError);
+            expect((error as SdkHttpError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+            expect((error as SdkHttpError).status).toBe(401);
             expect(mockAuthProvider.saveTokens).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
                 access_token: 'new-access-token',
                 token_type: 'Bearer',

packages/client/test/client/tokenProvider.test.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import type { IncomingMessage, Server } from 'node:http';
 import { createServer } from 'node:http';
 
 import type { JSONRPCMessage, OAuthClientInformation, OAuthClientMetadata, OAuthTokens } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
-import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
+import { SdkErrorCode, SdkHttpError } from '@modelcontextprotocol/core';
 import { listenOnRandomPort } from '@modelcontextprotocol/test-helpers';
 import type { Mock } from 'vitest';
 
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ describe('StreamableHTTPClientTransport with AuthProvider', () => {
         expect(retryInit.headers.get('Authorization')).toBe('Bearer new-token');
     });
 
-    it('should throw SdkError(ClientHttpAuthentication) if retry after onUnauthorized also gets 401', async () => {
+    it('should throw SdkHttpError(ClientHttpAuthentication) if retry after onUnauthorized also gets 401', async () => {
         const authProvider: AuthProvider = {
             token: vi.fn(async () => 'still-bad'),
             onUnauthorized: vi.fn(async () => {})
@@ -99,8 +99,9 @@ describe('StreamableHTTPClientTransport with AuthProvider', () => {
             .mockResolvedValueOnce({ ok: false, status: 401, headers: new Headers(), text: async () => 'unauthorized' });
 
         const error = await transport.send(message).catch(e => e);
-        expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkError);
-        expect((error as SdkError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+        expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(SdkHttpError);
+        expect((error as SdkHttpError).code).toBe(SdkErrorCode.ClientHttpAuthentication);
+        expect((error as SdkHttpError).status).toBe(401);
         expect(authProvider.onUnauthorized).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
 

packages/core/src/errors/sdkErrors.examples.ts

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * @module
  */
 
-import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from './sdkErrors.js';
+import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode, SdkHttpError } from './sdkErrors.js';
 
 /**
  * Example: Throwing and catching SDK errors.
@@ -25,3 +25,15 @@ function SdkError_basicUsage() {
     }
     //#endregion SdkError_basicUsage
 }
+
+/**
+ * Example: Checking for HTTP transport errors.
+ */
+function SdkHttpError_basicUsage(error: unknown) {
+    //#region SdkHttpError_basicUsage
+    if (error instanceof SdkHttpError) {
+        console.log(error.status); // number
+        console.log(error.statusText); // string | undefined
+    }
+    //#endregion SdkHttpError_basicUsage
+}