---
title: "Advertise only recognized server capabilities"
description: "Server capabilities have defined members rather than arbitrary top-level names. Remove unknown members or use the experimental or extensions maps where the applicable protocol vers"
source: "https://mcpdesc.org/docs/rules/0.9.0-rc.3/mcp/server-capabilities-members/"
---

Server capabilities have defined members rather than arbitrary top-level names. Remove unknown members or use the experimental or extensions maps where the applicable protocol version allows them. MCP Description specification extensions follow their own x- rules.

## Requirement

A server Capabilities Object contains only the capabilities the applicable MCP protocol version defines; custom capabilities go in experimental and, from MCP 2026-07-28, in extensions.

## Details

**Rule ID:** `mcp.server-capabilities.members`  
**Owner:** mcp  
**Surface:** ServerCapabilities  
**Kind:** structural  
**Requirement level:** must  
**Document schema locations:** `#/$defs/capabilities`, `#/$defs/capabilityPrompts`, `#/$defs/capabilityResources`, `#/$defs/capabilityTools`, `#/$defs/extensionCapabilities`  
**Status:** arbitrated · **Enforcement:** internal

## Protocol version applicability

| 2024-11-05 | 2025-03-26 | 2025-06-18 | 2025-11-25 | 2026-07-28 |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| applies    | applies    | applies    | applies    | applies    |

## Required by

* **MCP Description 0.9.0, Sections 8.2 and 8.4**  
  * 8\. Capabilities: [req-capabilities-closed](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.9.0-rc.3/capabilities#req-capabilities-closed)
  * 1. Capabilities: [req-extensions-identifier-form](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.9.0-rc.3/capabilities#req-extensions-identifier-form)
  * 1. Specification Extensions: [req-extension-ineligible-locations](https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.9.0-rc.3/specification-extensions#req-extension-ineligible-locations)

## Based on

* **Tier 1 — MCP schema.ts and normative specification text:** MCP 2024-11-05 to 2026-07-28 schema.ts, interface ServerCapabilities (no index signature)  
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2024-11-05/schema.ts#L205-L248](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2024-11-05/schema.ts#L205-L248)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-03-26/schema.ts#L225-L272](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-03-26/schema.ts#L225-L272)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-06-18/schema.ts#L253-L302](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-06-18/schema.ts#L253-L302)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-11-25/schema.ts#L381-L457](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-11-25/schema.ts#L381-L457)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2026-07-28/schema.ts#L788-L883](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2026-07-28/schema.ts#L788-L883)
* **Tier 1 — MCP schema.ts and normative specification text:** MCP 2024-11-05 to 2026-07-28 schema.ts, ServerCapabilities doc comment (“this is not a closed set: any server can define its own, additional capabilities”)  
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2024-11-05/schema.ts#L205-L207](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2024-11-05/schema.ts#L205-L207)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-03-26/schema.ts#L225-L227](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-03-26/schema.ts#L225-L227)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-06-18/schema.ts#L253-L257](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-06-18/schema.ts#L253-L257)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2025-11-25/schema.ts#L381-L385](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2025-11-25/schema.ts#L381-L385)
  * [validation/mcp-schemas/2026-07-28/schema.ts#L788-L792](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/dae694f61a31f7a3ec2af3aff709e11f70f61e48/schema/2026-07-28/schema.ts#L788-L792)

## Gaps and arbitrations

Arbitration: `2024-11-05`, `2025-03-26`, `2025-06-18`, `2025-11-25`, `2026-07-28`

**Conflict:** The TypeScript type declares a fixed set of members and no index signature, while its doc comment says the set is not closed and any server can define additional capabilities. The comment does not say where such capabilities go; experimental is the defined container.

**Authority:** MCP schema.ts type, the source of truth for message structures

**Behavior:** Reject unknown top-level members. Custom capabilities belong in experimental and, from MCP 2026-07-28, in extensions.

**Rationale:** Capabilities are sent on the wire during initialization, so the structural source of truth governs. Closing is also the reversible choice: opening the object later invalidates no document, while closing it later would.

**Review trigger:** Resolution of MCP issue 1898, an upstream clarification of the doc comment, or a later MCP protocol version adding an index signature..

Upstream: <https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/issues/1898>.

## Notes

x-\* properties are MCP Description specification extensions, not capabilities; native projection removes them.

## Examples

### Valid example

Source: [expected-valid/client-capability-requirements.json](https://github.com/mcpdesc/mcpdesc-specification/blob/v0.9.0-rc.3/spec/draft/fixtures/expected-valid/client-capability-requirements.json) · Selected: `/capabilities/0`

```json
{
  "protocolVersions": [
    "2026-07-28"
  ],
  "extensions": {
    "io.modelcontextprotocol/ui": {}
  }
}
```

### Invalid example

Source: [expected-invalid/unknown-server-capability.json](https://github.com/mcpdesc/mcpdesc-specification/blob/v0.9.0-rc.3/spec/draft/fixtures/expected-invalid/unknown-server-capability.json) · Selected: `/capabilities/0`

```json
{
  "tools": {},
  "acmeReplay": {}
}
```

## Rule Source Code

[capabilities.yaml](https://github.com/mcpdesc/mcpdesc-specification/blob/v0.9.0-rc.3/spec/draft/validation/rules/capabilities.yaml) at immutable tag [v0.9.0-rc.3](https://github.com/mcpdesc/mcpdesc-specification/blob/v0.9.0-rc.3/spec/draft).