PRODUCTION SCENARIO
An MCP server for a plugin platform gains new tools while a session is open as users install plugins. Clients keep using the tool list they fetched at startup.
How should the server inform connected clients?
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Show answer and explanation
Answer: Declare the listChanged capability and send notifications/tools/list_changed
The tools spec has servers that declare listChanged send a notifications/tools/list_changed notification when the available tools change, after which clients request tools/list again. Embedding definitions in a tool result or forcing reconnects are not part of the protocol.