java-sdk/spring-ai-mcp-core/docs/MCP-SESSION.md

MCP Session Components

Overview

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) session components implement the MCP specification for managing bidirectional JSON-RPC communication between clients and model servers. The implementation provides a robust foundation for request-response patterns and notification handling.

Core Components

McpSession Interface

The McpSession interface defines the contract for MCP communication with three primary operations:

1. Request-Response Communication

<T> Mono<T> sendRequest(String method, Object requestParams, TypeReference<T> typeRef);

2. Notification Handling

Mono<Void> sendNotification(String method, Map<String, Object> params);

3. Session Lifecycle Management

Mono<Void> closeGracefully();

DefaultMcpSession Implementation

The DefaultMcpSession provides the concrete implementation of the MCP session with the following key features:

1. Message Correlation

• Uses unique request IDs combining session UUID prefix and atomic counter
• Maintains thread-safe tracking of pending responses
• Implements timeout management for requests

2. Handler Registration

public interface RequestHandler {
    Mono<Object> handle(Object params);
}

public interface NotificationHandler {
    Mono<Void> handle(Object params);
}

3. Transport Integration

• Abstracts transport details through McpTransport interface
• Supports different transport implementations (SSE, STDIO)
• Manages message serialization using Jackson

Implementation Details

• The session processes three types of messages: McpSchema.JSONRPCResponse, McpSchema.JSONRPCRequest, McpSchema.JSONRPCNotificaiton.
• The implementation ensures thread safety through

Error Handling

WIP

Integration Guidelines

1. Transport Selection

   • Choose appropriate transport (SSE, STDIO) based on use case
   • Configure transport-specific parameters
   • Handle transport lifecycle properly

2. Message Handling

   • Register handlers before starting session
   • Use appropriate error codes from MCP specification
   • Implement proper request/response correlation

3. Type Safety

   • Use appropriate TypeReference for response deserialization
   • Validate request parameters
   • Handle type conversion errors