modelcontextprotocol · kurtisvg · Jun 23, 2026 · Jun 19, 2026 · Jun 22, 2026 · Jun 22, 2026
@@ -114,12 +114,43 @@ A subscription ends when:
 
 - The **client** cancels it — close the SSE stream (HTTP) or send
   `notifications/cancelled` referencing the `subscriptions/listen` request ID (stdio).
-- The **server** tears it down (e.g., during shutdown) — it **MUST** close the SSE
-  stream (HTTP) or send `notifications/cancelled` referencing the
-  `subscriptions/listen` request ID (stdio).
+- The **server** tears it down (e.g., during shutdown) — it **SHOULD** send the
+  empty `subscriptions/listen` response to signal a graceful end (see
+  [Graceful Closure](#graceful-closure)), then close the stream.
 - The underlying transport closes (HTTP timeout, TCP disconnect, stdio process
   exit).
 
+### Graceful Closure
+
+When the server ends a subscription on its own initiative (for example, during
+shutdown), it **SHOULD** respond to the original `subscriptions/listen` request
+with an empty result before closing the stream. This is the JSON-RPC response to
+the long-lived request, correlated by its `id`, and signals that the subscription
+ended gracefully — as opposed to an abrupt transport drop, which carries no
+response.
+
+```json
+{
+  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+  "id": 1,
+  "result": {
+    "resultType": "complete",
+    "_meta": {
+      "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": 1
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Like every other message on the stream, the response carries
+`io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId` in `_meta`, identifying which
+subscription it closes. The value matches the JSON-RPC `id` of the originating
+`subscriptions/listen` request.
+
+A client that receives this response knows the subscription closed cleanly; a
+transport that closes without it indicates an unexpected disconnect, which the
+client **MAY** treat as a trigger to reconnect.
+
 On **stdio**, if the connection is terminated and then re-established, the
 client **MUST** re-send `subscriptions/listen` to re-establish its
 subscriptions — the server holds no subscription state across reconnections.

@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 {
   "jsonrpc": "2.0",
-  "method": "notifications/prompts/list_changed"
+  "method": "notifications/prompts/list_changed",
+  "params": {
+    "_meta": {
+      "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": "listen-1"
+    }
+  }
 }
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 {
   "jsonrpc": "2.0",
-  "method": "notifications/resources/list_changed"
+  "method": "notifications/resources/list_changed",
+  "params": {
+    "_meta": {
+      "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": "listen-1"
+    }
+  }
 }
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
   "jsonrpc": "2.0",
   "method": "notifications/resources/updated",
   "params": {
+    "_meta": {
+      "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": "listen-1"
+    },
     "uri": "file:///project/src/main.rs"
   }
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "resultType": "complete",
+  "_meta": {
+    "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": "listen-1"
+  }
+}
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 {
   "jsonrpc": "2.0",
-  "method": "notifications/tools/list_changed"
+  "method": "notifications/tools/list_changed",
+  "params": {
+    "_meta": {
+      "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": "listen-1"
+    }
+  }
 }
@@ -1300,6 +1300,40 @@ export interface SubscriptionsListenRequest extends JSONRPCRequest {
   params: SubscriptionsListenRequestParams;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Extends {@link MetaObject} with the subscription-stream identifier carried by a
+ * {@link SubscriptionsListenResult}. All key naming rules from `MetaObject` apply.
+ *
+ * @see {@link MetaObject} for key naming rules and reserved prefixes.
+ * @category `subscriptions/listen`
+ */
+export interface SubscriptionsListenResultMeta extends MetaObject {
+  /**
+   * Identifies the subscription stream this response closes, so the client can
+   * correlate it with the originating subscription — mirroring the same key on
+   * the stream's notifications. The value is the JSON-RPC ID of the
+   * `subscriptions/listen` request that opened the stream (and equals this
+   * response's `id`).
+   */
+  "io.modelcontextprotocol/subscriptionId": RequestId;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The response to a {@link SubscriptionsListenRequest | subscriptions/listen}
+ * request, signalling that the subscription has ended gracefully (for example,
+ * during server shutdown). Because the listen stream is long-lived, this result
+ * is sent only when the server tears the subscription down; an abrupt transport
+ * close carries no response. The result body is otherwise empty.
+ *
+ * @example Subscription closed gracefully
+ * {@includeCode ./examples/SubscriptionsListenResult/listen-closed.json}
+ *
+ * @category `subscriptions/listen`
+ */
+export interface SubscriptionsListenResult extends Result {
+  _meta: SubscriptionsListenResultMeta;
+}
+
 /**
  * Parameters for a {@link SubscriptionsAcknowledgedNotification | notifications/subscriptions/acknowledged} notification.
  *
@@ -3134,6 +3168,7 @@ export type ServerResult =
   | ListResourceTemplatesResult
   | ListResourcesResult
   | ReadResourceResult
+  | SubscriptionsListenResult
   | CallToolResult
   | ListToolsResult
   | InputRequiredResult;