experimental-ext-tool-annot.../docs/decisions.md
Sam Morrow 2aea5dc6be
docs: scaffold trust/privacy extension repo from SEP-1913 carve
Carve the schema-bearing parts of SEP-1913 into three independent
experimental extensions, per @localden's "narrower first cut" ask and
the Tool Annotations IG's 2026-05-28 extension-first decision:

- io.modelcontextprotocol/trust-annotations (headline): narrow
  data-classification taxonomy (sensitive, untrusted) + open-ended
  evidenceRef pointer.
- io.modelcontextprotocol/action-metadata: carries forward SEP-2061
  (inputMetadata/returnMetadata/outcomes + requiresReview).
- io.modelcontextprotocol/ifc-fides: FIDES information-flow control as
  a profile of evidenceRef, not a wire root.

Adds repo meta (README, MAINTAINERS, CONTRIBUTING, LICENSE) and docs
(sep-disposition, intent-comment, decisions, open-questions,
trust-model, related-work). FIDES demoted to a profile; DataClass and
requiresReview rehomed; maliciousActivityHint and propagation parked on
the SEP-1913 umbrella. Citations index on public sources only.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-06-10 23:50:22 +02:00

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3.9 KiB
Markdown

# Decision log
Append-only record of design decisions for the Tool Annotations IG's trust /
privacy extension work. Newest at the bottom.
## 2026-06-10 — Carve SEP-1913 into independent extensions
**Decision.** Split the schema-bearing parts of SEP-1913 into separate
experimental extensions, each with its own `io.modelcontextprotocol/…`
identifier and reference implementation, rather than pursuing one broad
Standards Track SEP.
**Rationale.** @localden's review asked for a *narrower first cut*; the IG
[aligned 2026-05-28](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/discussions/2820)
on an extension-first strategy. Independent extensions can graduate on their own
clock and avoid hard-to-remove schema.
## 2026-06-10 — Three initial extensions
**Decision.** `trust-annotations` (headline), `action-metadata`, `ifc-fides`.
**Rationale.** These are the three pieces with either a reference implementation
or an existing SEP behind them: Kapil's SDK, SEP-2061 (Reichel), and the FIDES
model respectively.
## 2026-06-10 — FIDES is a profile, not the headline
**Decision.** Information-flow control is `type: "ifc.fides.v1"`, a profile of
the `trust-annotations` `evidenceRef` slot — not a top-level `io.modelcontextprotocol/ifc`
extension.
**Rationale.** IFC is one enforcement model among several raised in review
(capability tokens — pshkv; cosigning — viftode4; sequence shape — marras0914).
A top-level `ifc/` root would foreclose those. Reviewer endorsement was for IFC
"if you use annotations" — i.e. as a profile.
## 2026-06-10 — `evidenceRef.type` is an open string
**Decision.** `type` MUST remain an open string with a non-binding registry of
well-known values; never a closed enum. Required fields are `digest` and
`canonicalization`; `schema` recommended; `ref` optional.
**Rationale.** Adapted from the vaaraio / Rul1an convergence in the SEP-1913
thread. An open `type` is what lets IFC, data-class, sequence-shape, and
attestation profiles share one slot.
## 2026-06-10 — `requiresReview` moves to `action-metadata`
**Decision.** `requiresReview` is an `action-metadata` field, not a
`trust-annotations` field.
**Rationale.** It is a workflow/consent signal, not a data-classification
property. Keeping it out of the trust taxonomy avoids reproducing SEP-1913's
"several concerns in one schema" problem at smaller scale.
## 2026-06-10 — DataClass demoted to a profile
**Decision.** The wire taxonomy keeps only the coarse `sensitive` boolean.
The four-level classification + regulatory scope becomes an `evidenceRef`
profile `type: "data-class.v1"`.
**Rationale.** Coarse binary is universally client-actionable and cheap on the
wire; the richer taxonomy can evolve behind a profile without a breaking schema
change.
## 2026-06-10 — Parked: maliciousActivityHint, propagation rules
**Decision.** Neither is carved into an extension now; both stay on the SEP-1913
umbrella.
**Rationale.** `maliciousActivityHint` has unresolved structural objections
(fires pre-execution at `tools/resolve`; boolean granularity wrong for UX;
clients won't trust server self-attestation). Propagation/sequence-shape needs
the taxonomy and `evidenceRef` stable first.
## 2026-06-10 — Citations: public sources only
**Decision.** Reference implementations and motivating examples cite **public**
artifacts — [`github-mcp-server`](https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server),
[`kapil8811/mcp-trust-annotations`](https://github.com/kapil8811/mcp-trust-annotations),
[arXiv:2505.23643](https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.23643) — and index on the public
SEP-1913 review record (esp. @localden). Private/internal implementations are
not named or linked.
## 2026-06-10 — Pre-flight (SEP-1862) stays core
**Decision.** These extensions are response-level and do not depend on Tool
Resolution. SEP-1862 remains a core/Standards-Track protocol change.
**Rationale.** The 2026-05-28 IG meeting concluded pre-flight is inherently a
protocol-level change, not an extension.