Kehrlann · Nov 13, 2026
diff --git a/mcp-core/src/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/McpSchema.java b/mcp-core/src/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/McpSchema.java
@@ -53,6 +53,14 @@ private McpSchema() {
 
 	public static final String METHOD_SERVER_DISCOVER = "server/discover";
 
+	/**
+	 * The handshake that opens a connection in the initialization-based (legacy) protocol
+	 * versions. It is not part of this revision: servers only recognize it so they can
+	 * reject it with an error naming the versions they support.
+	 */
+	@Deprecated
+	public static final String METHOD_INITIALIZE = "initialize";
+
 	public static final String METHOD_TOOLS_LIST = "tools/list";
 
 	public static final String METHOD_TOOLS_CALL = "tools/call";

diff --git a/mcp-core/src/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/McpServer.java b/mcp-core/src/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/McpServer.java
@@ -125,6 +125,14 @@ private Mono<McpTransportResponse> handle(McpTransportContext transportContext,
 	private Mono<McpTransportResponse> dispatch(McpTransportContext transportContext, JSONRPCRequest request,
 			boolean blocking) {
 		Object id = request.id();
+		if (McpSchema.METHOD_INITIALIZE.equals(request.method()) && !hasModernVersionClaim(request.params())) {
+			// Legacy client: tries to initialize and doesn't pass version header. We
+			// reject early to return the correct error and not a header-validation error.
+			// If there is a modern version header, it's an invalid INITIALIZE request
+			// from a modern client: let it fall through, it will be rejected with
+			// METHOD_NOT_FOUND
+			return rejectLegacyInitialize(id, request.params());
+		}
 		if (request.params() == null) {
 			return invalidParams(id, "params is required");
 		}
@@ -308,6 +316,40 @@ private static JSONRPCResponse bug(McpRequestContext ctx, String problem) {
 		return JSONRPCResponse.error(ctx.requestId(), new JSONRPCError(ErrorCodes.INTERNAL_ERROR, "Internal error"));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Answers the {@code initialize} handshake of a client on an initialization-based
+	 * (legacy) protocol version. The server broadcasts to name its supported version(s)
+	 * in the error response.
+	 * <p>
+	 * This runs before any {@code params}/{@code _meta} validation: a legacy
+	 * {@code initialize} carries neither, and would otherwise be answered with an error
+	 * about the missing {@code _meta} instead.
+	 *
+	 * @see <a href=
+	 * "https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2026-07-28/basic/versioning#protocol-version-negotiation">Protocol
+	 * Version Negotiation</a>
+	 */
+	private Mono<McpTransportResponse> rejectLegacyInitialize(Object id, Object params) {
+		// The legacy handshake names the client's version in params.protocolVersion. When
+		// it is missing, "requested" is left out of the data rather than made up.
+		String requested = params instanceof Map<?, ?> paramsMap
+				&& paramsMap.get("protocolVersion") instanceof String version ? version : null;
+		String message = "Unsupported protocol version" + (requested != null ? " " + requested : "[undefined]")
+				+ ": this server does not support the initialize handshake; supported protocol versions: "
+				+ String.join(", ", this.supportedVersions);
+		return error(id, new JSONRPCError(ErrorCodes.UNSUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSION, message,
+				new UnsupportedProtocolVersionData(this.supportedVersions, requested)));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Whether {@code params._meta} names a protocol version, i.e. the request claims to
+	 * follow a per-request-metadata revision rather than the legacy handshake.
+	 */
+	private static boolean hasModernVersionClaim(Object params) {
+		return params instanceof Map<?, ?> paramsMap && paramsMap.get("_meta") instanceof Map<?, ?> meta
+				&& meta.get(MetaKeys.PROTOCOL_VERSION) instanceof String;
+	}
+
 	private static Mono<McpTransportResponse> error(Object id, JSONRPCError error) {
 		return Mono.just(McpTransportResponse.error(JSONRPCResponse.error(id, error)));
 	}

diff --git a/...rc/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/HttpServletMcpTransport.java b/...rc/main/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/HttpServletMcpTransport.java
@@ -413,6 +413,15 @@ private void writeJson(HttpServletResponse response, int status, JSONRPCResponse
 	 * consistent with the body
 	 */
 	private String validateHeaders(HttpServletRequest request, JSONRPCRequest jsonRpcRequest) {
+		if (McpSchema.METHOD_INITIALIZE.equals(jsonRpcRequest.method())
+				&& protocolVersionFromMeta(jsonRpcRequest.params()) == null) {
+			// A client on an initialization-based (legacy) version opens with initialize
+			// and sends none of these headers. Its request is left to the request
+			// manager, which knows the supported versions and names them in its
+			// rejection: answering "Missing required header" would leave that client with
+			// nothing actionable. Fall through to the server validation.
+			return null;
+		}
 		List<String> methodHeaders = Collections.list(request.getHeaders(Headers.MCP_METHOD));
 		if (methodHeaders.isEmpty()) {
 			return "Missing required header: Mcp-Method";

diff --git a/mcp-test/src/test/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/McpServerTests.java b/mcp-test/src/test/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/McpServerTests.java
@@ -108,6 +108,43 @@ void unsupportedVersionWinsOverMissingClientCapabilities() {
 			.verifyComplete();
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void legacyInitializeNamesSupportedVersions() {
+		McpServer server = baseBuilder().supportedVersions(List.of("2026-07-28", "2026-12-01")).build();
+		Map<String, Object> params = Map.of("protocolVersion", "2025-11-25", "capabilities", Map.of(), "clientInfo",
+				Map.of("name", "legacy-client", "version", "1.0.0"));
+
+		JSONRPCResponse response = respond(server, new JSONRPCRequest("initialize", 1, params)).block();
+
+		JSONRPCError error = response.error();
+		assertThat(error.code()).isEqualTo(ErrorCodes.UNSUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+		assertThat(error.message()).contains("2025-11-25", "2026-07-28, 2026-12-01");
+		assertThat(error.data())
+			.isEqualTo(new McpSchema.UnsupportedProtocolVersionData(List.of("2026-07-28", "2026-12-01"), "2025-11-25"));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void legacyInitializeWithoutParamsNamesSupportedVersions() {
+		McpServer server = baseBuilder().build();
+
+		JSONRPCResponse response = respond(server, new JSONRPCRequest("initialize", 1, null)).block();
+
+		JSONRPCError error = response.error();
+		assertThat(error.code()).isEqualTo(ErrorCodes.UNSUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+		assertThat(error.message()).contains(McpSchema.LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+		assertThat(error.data())
+			.isEqualTo(new McpSchema.UnsupportedProtocolVersionData(List.of(McpSchema.LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION), null));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void initializeWithModernMetaIsMethodNotFound() {
+		McpServer server = baseBuilder().build();
+
+		StepVerifier.create(invoke(server, request("initialize", meta())))
+			.assertNext(invocation -> assertError(invocation, ErrorCodes.METHOD_NOT_FOUND))
+			.verifyComplete();
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	void malformedClientCapabilitiesIsInvalidParams() {
 		McpServer server = baseBuilder().feature(echoFeature("tools/call")).build();

diff --git a/...modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/HttpServletMcpTransportIntegrationTests.java b/...modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/HttpServletMcpTransportIntegrationTests.java
@@ -402,6 +402,44 @@ void getIsRejected() throws Exception {
 		assertThat(response.statusCode()).isEqualTo(405);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void legacyInitializeIsAnsweredWithSupportedVersions() throws Exception {
+		// What a 2025-era Streamable HTTP client sends: no Mcp-* headers, no _meta.
+		HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
+			.uri(URI.create("http://localhost:" + PORT + ENDPOINT))
+			.header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			.header("Accept", "application/json, text/event-stream")
+			.POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString("""
+					{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-11-25",\
+					"capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"legacy-client","version":"1.0.0"}}}"""))
+			.build();
+		HttpResponse<String> response = HttpClient.newHttpClient().send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
+
+		assertThat(response.statusCode()).isEqualTo(400);
+		assertThatJson(response.body()).inPath("$.error.code").isEqualTo(ErrorCodes.UNSUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+		assertThatJson(response.body()).inPath("$.error.message")
+			.asString()
+			.contains(McpSchema.LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+		assertThatJson(response.body()).inPath("$.error.data").isEqualTo("""
+				{"supported": ["%s"], "requested": "2025-11-25"}""".formatted(McpSchema.LATEST_PROTOCOL_VERSION));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void initializeWithModernMetaStillRequiresHeaders() throws Exception {
+		Map<String, Object> body = Map.of("jsonrpc", "2.0", "id", 1, "method", "initialize", "params",
+				Map.of("_meta", meta()));
+		HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
+			.uri(URI.create("http://localhost:" + PORT + ENDPOINT))
+			.header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			.header("Accept", "application/json, text/event-stream")
+			.POST(HttpRequest.BodyPublishers.ofString(JSON_MAPPER.writeValueAsString(body)))
+			.build();
+		HttpResponse<String> response = HttpClient.newHttpClient().send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
+
+		assertThat(response.statusCode()).isEqualTo(400);
+		assertThat(errorCode(response)).isEqualTo(ErrorCodes.HEADER_MISMATCH);
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	void headerMismatchIsRejected() throws Exception {
 		Map<String, Object> params = new HashMap<>();

diff --git a/...src/test/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/StdioMcpTransportTests.java b/...src/test/java/io/modelcontextprotocol/modern/server/transport/StdioMcpTransportTests.java
@@ -279,6 +279,32 @@ void cancelledNotificationStopsOutputForThatRequest() throws Exception {
 		await().atMost(Duration.ofSeconds(5)).untilAsserted(() -> assertThat(sawCancel.get()).isTrue());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void legacyInitializeIsAnsweredWithSupportedVersions() throws Exception {
+		start(McpServer.builder().serverInfo(SERVER_INFO).jsonMapper(this.jsonMapper).build());
+
+		sendRaw("""
+				{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2025-11-25",\
+				"capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"legacy-client","version":"1.0.0"}}}""");
+
+		String response = readLineWithTimeout();
+		assertThatJson(response).isEqualTo(json("""
+				{
+				  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+				  "id": 1,
+				  "error": {
+				    "code": %d,
+				    "message": "${json-unit.any-string}",
+				    "data": {
+				      "supported": ["2026-07-28"],
+				      "requested": "2025-11-25"
+				    }
+				  }
+				}
+				""".formatted(ErrorCodes.UNSUPPORTED_PROTOCOL_VERSION)));
+		assertThatJson(response).inPath("$.error.message").asString().contains("2026-07-28");
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	void invalidJsonProducesParseError() throws Exception {
 		McpRequestManager manager = managerOf((transportContext, request) -> Mono