SEP-994: Shared Communication Practices/Guidelines - Model Context Protocol Documentation Index Fetch the complete documentation index at: /llms.txt Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. Skip to main content Model Context Protocol home page Search... ⌘ K Ask Assistant ⌘ I * Blog * GitHub Search... Navigation Final SEP-994: Shared Communication Practices/Guidelines Documentation Specification Extensions Registry SEPs Community * SEP Index Final * SEP-414: Document OpenTelemetry Trace Context Pr… * SEP-932: Model Context Protocol Governance * SEP-973: Expose additional metadata for Implemen… * SEP-985: Align OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Meta… * SEP-986: Specify Format for Tool Names * SEP-990: Enable enterprise IdP policy controls d… * SEP-991: Enable URL-based Client Registration us… * SEP-994: Shared Communication Practices/Guidelin… * SEP-1024: MCP Client Security Requirements for Lo… * SEP-1034: Support default values for all primitiv… * SEP-1036: URL Mode Elicitation for secure out-of-… * SEP-1046: Support OAuth client credentials flow i… * SEP-1302: Formalize Working Groups and Interest G… * SEP-1303: Input Validation Errors as Tool Executi… * SEP-1319: Decouple Request Payload from RPC Metho… * SEP-1330: Elicitation Enum Schema Improvements an… * SEP-1577: Sampling With Tools * SEP-1613: Establish JSON Schema 2020-12 as Defaul… * SEP-1686: Tasks * SEP-1699: Support SSE polling via server-side dis… * SEP-1730: SDKs Tiering System * SEP-1850: PR-Based SEP Workflow * SEP-1865: MCP Apps - Interactive User Interfaces… * SEP-2085: Governance Succession and Amendment Pro… * SEP-2106: Tools `inputSchema` & `outputSchema` Co… * SEP-2133: Extensions * SEP-2148: MCP Contributor Ladder * SEP-2149: MCP Group Governance and Charter Templa… * SEP-2164: Standardize Resource Not Found Error Co… * SEP-2207: OIDC-Flavored Refresh Token Guidance * SEP-2243: HTTP Header Standardization for Streama… * SEP-2260: Require Server requests to be associate… * SEP-2322: Multi Round-Trip Requests * SEP-2468: Recommend Issuer (iss) Parameter in MCP… * SEP-2484: Require Conformance Tests for Standards… * SEP-2549: TTL for List Results * SEP-2567: Sessionless MCP via Explicit State Hand… * SEP-2575: Make MCP Stateless * SEP-2577: Deprecate Roots, Sampling, and Logging * SEP-2596: Specification Feature Lifecycle and Dep… * SEP-2663: Tasks Extension On this page * Abstract * Motivation * Specification * Communication Channels * Discord Guidelines * Public Channels (Default) * Private Channels (Exceptions) * GitHub Discussions * GitHub Issues * Decision Records * Rationale * Backward Compatibility * Reference Implementation Final SEP-994: Shared Communication Practices/Guidelines Copy page Copy page Shared Communication Practices/Guidelines Copy page Copy page Final Process This SEP has reached Final status and is preserved as a historical record of the design as accepted. Changes made to the protocol after finalization are not reflected here. Refer to the current specification and its changelog for authoritative requirements. Field Value SEP 994 Title Shared Communication Practices/Guidelines Status Final Type Process Created 2025-07-17 Author(s) @localden Sponsor None PR #1002 ​ Abstract This SEP establishes the communication strategy and framework for the Model Context Protocol community. It defines the official channels for contributor communication, guidelines for their use, and processes for decision documentation. ​ Motivation As the MCP community grows, clear communication guidelines are essential for: * Consistency : Ensuring all contributors know where and how to communicate * Transparency : Making project decisions visible and accessible * Efficiency : Directing discussions to the most appropriate channels * Security : Establishing proper processes for handling sensitive issues ​ Specification ​ Communication Channels The MCP project uses three primary communication channels: * Discord : For real-time or ad-hoc discussions among contributors * GitHub Discussions : For structured, longer-form discussions * GitHub Issues : For actionable tasks, bug reports, and feature requests Security-sensitive issues follow a separate process defined in SECURITY.md. ​ Discord Guidelines The Discord server is designed for MCP contributors and is not intended for general MCP support. ​ Public Channels (Default) * Open community engagement and collaborative development * SDK and tooling development discussions * Working and Interest Group discussions * Community onboarding and contribution guidance * Office hours and maintainer availability ​ Private Channels (Exceptions) Private channels are reserved for: * Security incidents (CVEs, protocol vulnerabilities) * People matters (maintainer discussions, code of conduct) * Coordination requiring immediate focused response All technical and governance decisions must be documented publicly in GitHub. ​ GitHub Discussions Used for structured, long-form discussion: * Project roadmap planning * Announcements and release communications * Community polls and consensus-building * Feature requests with context and rationale ​ GitHub Issues Used for actionable items: * Bug reports with reproducible steps * Documentation improvements * CI/CD and infrastructure issues * Release tasks and milestone tracking ​ Decision Records All MCP decisions are documented publicly: * Technical decisions : GitHub Issues and SEPs * Specification changes : Changelog on the MCP website * Process changes : Community documentation * Governance decisions : GitHub Issues and SEPs Decision documentation includes: * Decision makers * Background context and motivation * Options considered * Rationale for chosen approach * Implementation steps ​ Rationale This framework balances openness with practicality: * Public by default : Maximizes transparency and community participation * Private when necessary : Protects security and personal matters * Channel separation : Keeps discussions organized and searchable * Documentation requirements : Ensures decisions are preserved and discoverable ​ Backward Compatibility This SEP establishes new processes and does not affect existing protocol functionality. ​ Reference Implementation The communication guidelines are published at: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/community/communication Was this page helpful? Yes No SEP-991: Enable URL-based Client Registration us… SEP-1024: MCP Client Security Requirements for Lo… github Assistant Responses are generated using AI and may contain mistakes.