fix(server): return Tool Execution Errors for input validation failures (SEP-1303)

Per SEP-1303 (spec 2025-11-25), tool input validation failures should be
surfaced as Tool Execution Errors (a `CallToolResult` with `isError: true`)
rather than as JSON-RPC `InvalidParams` protocol errors. Returning a tool
error lets the model see the validation message and self-correct on retry,
which is the motivation behind SEP-1303.

`McpServer.validateToolInput` no longer throws an `McpError` on validation
failure; it returns either `{ data }` on success or `{ errorResult }` with
the Tool Execution Error result. Both call sites (the regular tools/call
path and the automatic task polling path) handle the error result by
returning it directly to the client.

Output validation behavior is unchanged; SEP-1303 targets input validation.

Closes #1956.

Author: MukundaKatta

.changeset/sep-1303-input-validation-tool-error.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@modelcontextprotocol/sdk': patch
+---
+
+Return tool input validation failures as Tool Execution Errors (a `CallToolResult` with `isError: true`) instead of throwing JSON-RPC `InvalidParams` protocol errors. Aligns `McpServer` with [SEP-1303](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/issues/1303) (spec 2025-11-25), so the model can see the validation message and self-correct on retry. Closes #1956.

src/server/mcp.ts

@@ -209,8 +209,14 @@ export class McpServer {
                     return await this.handleAutomaticTaskPolling(tool, request, extra);
                 }
 
-                // Normal execution path
-                const args = await this.validateToolInput(tool, request.params.arguments, request.params.name);
+                // Normal execution path. Per SEP-1303, input validation failures
+                // are returned as Tool Execution Errors (`isError: true`), not
+                // JSON-RPC protocol errors, so the model can self-correct.
+                const validation = await this.validateToolInput(tool, request.params.arguments, request.params.name);
+                if ('errorResult' in validation) {
+                    return validation.errorResult;
+                }
+                const args = validation.data;
                 const result = await this.executeToolHandler(tool, args, extra);
 
                 // Return CreateTaskResult immediately for task requests
@@ -254,6 +260,14 @@ export class McpServer {
 
     /**
      * Validates tool input arguments against the tool's input schema.
+     *
+     * Per SEP-1303 (spec 2025-11-25), validation failures are returned as a
+     * Tool Execution Error (a `CallToolResult` with `isError: true`) so the
+     * caller can surface the problem to the model for self-correction. This
+     * is preferred over throwing a JSON-RPC protocol error, which would be
+     * opaque to the model.
+     *
+     * Returns either `{ data }` on success or `{ errorResult }` on failure.
      */
     private async validateToolInput<
         Tool extends RegisteredTool,
@@ -262,9 +276,9 @@ export class McpServer {
                 ? SchemaOutput<InputSchema>
                 : undefined
             : undefined
-    >(tool: Tool, args: Args, toolName: string): Promise<Args> {
+    >(tool: Tool, args: Args, toolName: string): Promise<{ data: Args } | { errorResult: CallToolResult }> {
         if (!tool.inputSchema) {
-            return undefined as Args;
+            return { data: undefined as Args };
         }
 
         // Try to normalize to object schema first (for raw shapes and object schemas)
@@ -275,10 +289,12 @@ export class McpServer {
         if (!parseResult.success) {
             const error = 'error' in parseResult ? parseResult.error : 'Unknown error';
             const errorMessage = getParseErrorMessage(error);
-            throw new McpError(ErrorCode.InvalidParams, `Input validation error: Invalid arguments for tool ${toolName}: ${errorMessage}`);
+            return {
+                errorResult: this.createToolError(`Input validation error: Invalid arguments for tool ${toolName}: ${errorMessage}`)
+            };
         }
 
-        return parseResult.data as unknown as Args;
+        return { data: parseResult.data as unknown as Args };
     }
 
     /**
@@ -369,8 +385,13 @@ export class McpServer {
             throw new Error('No task store provided for task-capable tool.');
         }
 
-        // Validate input and create task
-        const args = await this.validateToolInput(tool, request.params.arguments, request.params.name);
+        // Validate input and create task. Per SEP-1303, surface validation
+        // failures as Tool Execution Errors instead of protocol errors.
+        const validation = await this.validateToolInput(tool, request.params.arguments, request.params.name);
+        if ('errorResult' in validation) {
+            return validation.errorResult;
+        }
+        const args = validation.data;
         const handler = tool.handler as ToolTaskHandler<ZodRawShapeCompat | undefined>;
         const taskExtra = { ...extra, taskStore: extra.taskStore };
 

test/issues/test_1956_sep1303_input_validation.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+/**
+ * Regression test for https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/typescript-sdk/issues/1956
+ *
+ * Per SEP-1303 (spec 2025-11-25), tool input validation failures must be
+ * returned as Tool Execution Errors (a successful `CallToolResult` with
+ * `isError: true`), not as JSON-RPC protocol errors. This lets the model
+ * see the validation message and self-correct on retry.
+ *
+ * https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-11-25/changelog
+ */
+
+import { Client } from '../../src/client/index.js';
+import { InMemoryTransport } from '../../src/inMemory.js';
+import { CallToolResultSchema, type CallToolResult } from '../../src/types.js';
+import { McpServer } from '../../src/server/mcp.js';
+import { zodTestMatrix, type ZodMatrixEntry } from '../../src/__fixtures__/zodTestMatrix.js';
+
+describe.each(zodTestMatrix)('Issue #1956 (SEP-1303): $zodVersionLabel', (entry: ZodMatrixEntry) => {
+    const { z } = entry;
+
+    test('returns Tool Execution Error (not protocol error) for invalid tool input', async () => {
+        const mcpServer = new McpServer({
+            name: 'test server',
+            version: '1.0'
+        });
+        const client = new Client({
+            name: 'test client',
+            version: '1.0'
+        });
+
+        mcpServer.registerTool(
+            'add',
+            {
+                inputSchema: {
+                    a: z.number(),
+                    b: z.number()
+                }
+            },
+            async ({ a, b }) => ({
+                content: [{ type: 'text', text: String(a + b) }]
+            })
+        );
+
+        const [clientTransport, serverTransport] = InMemoryTransport.createLinkedPair();
+        await Promise.all([client.connect(clientTransport), mcpServer.server.connect(serverTransport)]);
+
+        // Invoke with a wrong type for `b`. Per SEP-1303 the request should
+        // resolve with isError: true (Tool Execution Error), not reject with
+        // a JSON-RPC -32602 InvalidParams protocol error.
+        const result = (await client.request(
+            {
+                method: 'tools/call',
+                params: {
+                    name: 'add',
+                    arguments: { a: 1, b: 'two' }
+                }
+            },
+            CallToolResultSchema
+        )) as CallToolResult;
+
+        // Must be a successful result, not a thrown McpError.
+        expect(result).toBeDefined();
+        expect(result.isError).toBe(true);
+
+        // Content references the field name + tool name so the model can
+        // self-correct on retry.
+        expect(Array.isArray(result.content)).toBe(true);
+        const text = result.content
+            .filter((part: { type: string }) => part.type === 'text')
+            .map((part: { type: 'text'; text: string }) => part.text)
+            .join('\n');
+        expect(text).toContain('Input validation error');
+        expect(text).toContain('add');
+        expect(text).toContain('b');
+    });
+
+    test('does not invoke the tool handler when input validation fails', async () => {
+        const mcpServer = new McpServer({
+            name: 'test server',
+            version: '1.0'
+        });
+        const client = new Client({
+            name: 'test client',
+            version: '1.0'
+        });
+
+        let handlerCalls = 0;
+        mcpServer.registerTool(
+            'echo',
+            {
+                inputSchema: {
+                    message: z.string()
+                }
+            },
+            async ({ message }) => {
+                handlerCalls++;
+                return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: message }] };
+            }
+        );
+
+        const [clientTransport, serverTransport] = InMemoryTransport.createLinkedPair();
+        await Promise.all([client.connect(clientTransport), mcpServer.server.connect(serverTransport)]);
+
+        // Wrong type for `message`.
+        const result = (await client.request(
+            {
+                method: 'tools/call',
+                params: {
+                    name: 'echo',
+                    arguments: { message: 42 }
+                }
+            },
+            CallToolResultSchema
+        )) as CallToolResult;
+
+        expect(result.isError).toBe(true);
+        expect(handlerCalls).toBe(0);
+    });
+});