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Initial repository structure for Transports WG

Browse source 
Set up the basic structure for the MCP Transports Working Group, modeled
after the financial-services-interest-group repository.

Files added:
- README.md: Mission, meetings, focus areas, participation guide
- CHARTER.md: Scope, proposal promotion pathway
- GOVERNANCE.md: Roles, decision-making process (maintainers TBD)
- CONTRIBUTING.md: How to participate and contribute
- LICENSE: MIT License
- docs/: Directory for future documentation
- proposals/: Directory for transport proposals/specs

Focus areas:
- Scalability (connection pooling, load distribution)
- Reliability (error handling, reconnection, delivery guarantees)
- Transport Semantics (protocol behavior, message ordering)
- Interoperability (cross-platform compatibility, testing)
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# Transports Working Group Charter
This document outlines the mission, scope, and strategic direction of the MCP Transports Working Group.
## Mission
The Transports Working Group brings together community participants to:
- **Improve transport usability** by addressing real-world challenges in MCP implementations
- **Define scalability patterns** for connection management, load distribution, and resource efficiency
- **Establish reliability standards** for error handling, reconnection, and delivery guarantees
- **Clarify transport semantics** for consistent protocol behavior across implementations
- **Enable interoperability** through testing patterns and conformance guidelines
## Scope
### Included
- Transport protocol specifications and improvements
- Scalability patterns (connection pooling, multiplexing, load balancing)
- Reliability mechanisms (error handling, reconnection, message delivery)
- Transport semantics (ordering, state management, lifecycle)
- Reference implementations for testing and validation
- Interoperability patterns and conformance testing
- Documentation and guidance materials
### Excluded
- Application-layer protocol features (tools, resources, prompts)
- Domain-specific extensions (financial services, healthcare, etc.)
- Competitively sensitive information
- Non-technical business matters
The group adheres to the [MCP Antitrust Policy](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/ANTITRUST.md); all participants must follow antitrust compliance guidelines.
## Proposals vs. Core Specification
### Proposals
Transport proposals developed within this working group address specific transport challenges while enabling:
- Rapid iteration and experimentation
- Community feedback gathering
- Production validation before standardization
### Promotion Pathway
Broadly applicable proposals may advance to the core MCP specification through:
1. **SEP (Spec Enhancement Proposal)** documenting the proposal and implementation evidence
2. **Core Maintainer Sponsorship** from MCP leadership
3. **Community Consensus** via the SEP review process
### Proactive Advancement
The Working Group identifies promising proposals and actively pursues promotion by:
- Providing real-world validation from production environments
- Building coalition support among contributors
- Coordinating with core maintainers for SEP sponsorship
## Amendments
Charter changes require:
1. Proposal through GitHub
2. Discussion and community input
3. Maintainer consensus approval
4. Clear documentation of rationale
## Contact
Questions about this charter can be directed to:
- The `#transports-wg` Discord channel
- GitHub Issues in this repository
- Maintainers listed in [GOVERNANCE.md](./GOVERNANCE.md)

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# Contributing to the Transports Working Group
We welcome contributions from anyone interested in improving MCP transports!
## Quick Start
1. **Join the community** — Connect on the `#transports-wg` channel in [MCP Discord](https://discord.com/invite/6CSzBmMkjX)
2. **Understand the scope** — Review the [CHARTER](./CHARTER.md) and [README](./README.md)
3. **Start contributing** — Attend meetings, open issues, or submit PRs
## Ways to Contribute
### Participate in Discussions
- Join weekly meetings (no approval needed!)
- Engage in Discord conversations
- Comment on GitHub issues and PRs
- Share your transport implementation experiences
### Submit Proposals
Have an idea for improving MCP transports? We'd love to hear it!
1. **Open an issue** to discuss the idea first
2. **Draft a proposal** following the template in `proposals/`
3. **Submit a PR** for community review
4. **Iterate** based on feedback
### Improve Documentation
- Fix typos or clarify existing docs
- Add examples or guides
- Document edge cases or gotchas
### Review and Provide Feedback
- Review open PRs
- Test proposed changes
- Share implementation feedback
## Proposal Development
When developing transport proposals:
1. **Propose first** — Open an issue to discuss before writing a full proposal
2. **Follow MCP standards** — Align with existing MCP conventions and patterns
3. **Document thoroughly** — Include rationale, examples, and edge cases
4. **Consider breadth** — Think about applicability across implementations
## Promoting Proposals to Core Spec
For proposals with broad applicability:
1. **Gather implementation experience** — Get real-world validation
2. **Present to the working group** — Build consensus and support
3. **Coordinate with core maintainers** — Work with the MCP maintainer liaison
4. **Draft a SEP** — Follow the MCP Spec Enhancement Proposal process
## Guidelines
### Code of Conduct
All participants must follow the [MCP Code of Conduct](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/.github/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
### Antitrust Compliance
Per the [MCP Antitrust Policy](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/ANTITRUST.md), discussions must focus on:
- Technical standards and specifications
- Interoperability patterns
- Open collaboration
And must avoid:
- Pricing, costs, or margins
- Customer lists or strategies
- Competitive information
## Recognition
Active contributors — those who attend 2+ meetings or make substantive contributions — can request recognition in [GOVERNANCE.md](./GOVERNANCE.md). Self-nomination is welcome!
## Communication Channels
| Channel | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| Discord `#transports-wg` | Real-time discussion and Q&A |
| GitHub Issues | Proposals, bugs, and feature requests |
| GitHub Discussions | Longer-form conversations |
| Weekly Meetings | Synchronous collaboration and decisions |
## Getting Help
- **Discord:** Ask in `#transports-wg`
- **GitHub Issues:** Open an issue with your question
- **Meetings:** Bring questions to the weekly call
- **Maintainers:** Reach out to maintainers listed in [GOVERNANCE.md](./GOVERNANCE.md)
We're here to help — don't hesitate to ask!

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# Transports Working Group Governance
The Transports Working Group operates under a lightweight, consensus-driven governance model aligned with the broader MCP community.
## Principles
1. **Open Participation** — Anyone can participate regardless of affiliation
2. **Transparency** — All decisions are documented and publicly accessible
3. **Consensus-Driven** — Maintainers seek agreement; objections prompt discussion
4. **Antitrust Compliance** — All activities follow the [MCP Antitrust Policy](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/ANTITRUST.md)
5. **Ecosystem Alignment** — Work aligns with broader MCP goals and specifications
## Roles
### Maintainers
Maintainers are responsible for:
- Reviewing and merging pull requests
- Coordinating meetings and setting agendas
- Managing repository and community health
- Making governance decisions
- Representing the working group to the broader MCP community
**Current Maintainers:**
| Name | Organization | GitHub |
|------|--------------|--------|
| _TBD_ | _TBD_ | _TBD_ |
> **Note:** Initial maintainers to be added as the working group forms.
### Active Contributors
Active contributors regularly participate in discussions, meetings, or code contributions. They:
- Have demonstrated sustained engagement
- May receive triage permissions
- Are recognized in this document
**Current Active Contributors:**
| Name | Organization | GitHub |
|------|--------------|--------|
| _TBD_ | _TBD_ | _TBD_ |
### Contributors
Anyone who participates in any way:
- Joining Discord discussions
- Attending meetings
- Opening or commenting on issues
- Submitting pull requests
- Reviewing proposals
No formal approval is needed to become a contributor.
## Decision Making
1. **Proposal** — Ideas are raised via GitHub issues, PRs, or meetings
2. **Discussion** — Open discussion in Discord and GitHub
3. **Consensus** — Maintainers seek agreement; silence implies consent
4. **Objection Resolution** — Objections trigger further discussion until resolved
5. **Documentation** — All decisions are recorded in meeting notes or GitHub
## Becoming a Maintainer
Maintainer status is earned through sustained, high-quality contributions:
1. Demonstrate expertise in transport-related topics
2. Contribute regularly over an extended period
3. Show good judgment in technical discussions
4. Be nominated by an existing maintainer
5. Receive consensus approval from current maintainers
## Meeting Requirements
All meetings must include:
- Brief antitrust reminder at the start
- Published agenda (48+ hours in advance)
- Public notes with decisions and action items
- Open attendance for all participants
### Prohibited Topics
Per antitrust requirements, meetings must not discuss:
- Pricing, costs, or margins
- Customer lists or strategies
- Competitive strategies
- Confidential business information
- Any form of anti-competitive coordination
## Amendments
Governance changes require:
1. Proposal via GitHub issue or PR
2. Community discussion period
3. Maintainer consensus
4. Documented rationale for the change
## Contact
Questions about governance can be directed to:
- The `#transports-wg` Discord channel
- GitHub Issues in this repository
- Current maintainers directly

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MIT License
Copyright (c) 2025 Model Context Protocol
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

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# MCP Transports Working Group
Welcome to the **MCP Transports Working Group** — a collaborative community focused on improving the usability of transports in the [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io), including scalability, reliability, and semantics.
## Mission
The Transports Working Group coordinates community stakeholders to:
- **Improve transport usability** across MCP implementations
- **Define scalability patterns** for connection pooling, load distribution, and resource management
- **Establish reliability standards** for error handling, reconnection, and message delivery guarantees
- **Clarify transport semantics** for protocol behavior, message ordering, and state management
- **Drive interoperability** across platforms and implementations
> **See the [CHARTER](./CHARTER.md) for detailed scope and processes.**
## Communication
- **Primary Channel:** [MCP Discord](https://discord.com/invite/6CSzBmMkjX) → `#transports-wg`
- **Meetings:** Weekly, 60 minutes
- Meeting agendas posted in Discord ≥48 hours in advance
- **Work Tracking:** GitHub Issues and Discussions in this repository
- **Reporting:** Regular updates to the broader MCP community
## Meetings
**Cadence:** Weekly
**Day:** Tuesdays at 1:00pm
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Format:** Virtual
> **Note:** See [meet.modelcontextprotocol.io](https://meet.modelcontextprotocol.io) for meeting links and calendar.
All meetings include:
- Brief [antitrust reminder](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/ANTITRUST.md) at start
- Published agenda (48h prior)
- Public notes with decisions and action items
- Open attendance for all interested participants
## How to Participate
We welcome participation from anyone interested in MCP transports!
- **Join** the `#transports-wg` channel on [MCP Discord](https://discord.com/invite/6CSzBmMkjX)
- **Attend** weekly meetings (no approval needed!)
- **Contribute** by opening issues, submitting PRs, or providing feedback
- **Review** the [CONTRIBUTING guide](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed guidelines
_See [GOVERNANCE.md](./GOVERNANCE.md) for current members, roles, and how to become a maintainer._
## Current Focus Areas
Our work focuses on:
1. **Scalability** — Connection pooling, load distribution, resource management
2. **Reliability** — Error handling, reconnection strategies, message delivery guarantees
3. **Transport Semantics** — Protocol behavior, message ordering, state management
4. **Interoperability** — Cross-platform compatibility, testing patterns, conformance
## Repository Structure
```
/
├── README.md # This file - Quick start guide
├── CHARTER.md # Mission, scope, and proposal strategy
├── GOVERNANCE.md # Governance model, roles, and members
├── CONTRIBUTING.md # Contribution guidelines
├── proposals/ # Transport proposals and specifications
└── docs/ # Guides and documentation
```
## Contributing
We welcome contributions of all kinds! Please review:
- **[CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md)** — Detailed contribution guidelines
- **[MCP Code of Conduct](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/.github/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)** — Community standards
- **[MCP Antitrust Policy](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/ANTITRUST.md)** — Required compliance
**Quick Start:**
- Open an issue to propose ideas or report problems
- Submit a PR for proposals, documentation, or improvements
- Join discussions in Discord or GitHub
## Related Resources
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
- [MCP Specification](https://spec.modelcontextprotocol.io)
- [MCP GitHub Organization](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol)
- [MCP Discord Community](https://discord.com/invite/6CSzBmMkjX)
- [MCP Events Calendar](https://meet.modelcontextprotocol.io)
## Contact
- **Discord:** `#transports-wg` channel
- **GitHub Issues:** For proposals, questions, and discussions

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