modelcontextprotocol · maxisbey · Apr 16, 2026 · Apr 16, 2026 · Apr 16, 2026
diff --git a/src/mcp/shared/direct_dispatcher.py b/src/mcp/shared/direct_dispatcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+"""In-memory `Dispatcher` that wires two peers together with no transport.
+
+`DirectDispatcher` is the simplest possible `Dispatcher` implementation: a
+request on one side directly invokes the other side's `on_request`. There is no
+serialization, no JSON-RPC framing, and no streams. It exists to:
+
+* prove the `Dispatcher` Protocol is implementable without JSON-RPC
+* provide a fast substrate for testing the layers above the dispatcher
+  (`ServerRunner`, `Context`, `Connection`) without wire-level moving parts
+* embed a server in-process when the JSON-RPC overhead is unnecessary
+
+Unlike `JSONRPCDispatcher`, exceptions raised in a handler propagate directly
+to the caller — there is no exception-to-`ErrorData` boundary here.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable, Mapping
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Any
+
+import anyio
+
+from mcp.shared.dispatcher import CallOptions, OnNotify, OnRequest, ProgressFnT
+from mcp.shared.exceptions import MCPError, NoBackChannelError
+from mcp.shared.transport_context import TransportContext
+from mcp.types import INTERNAL_ERROR, REQUEST_TIMEOUT
+
+__all__ = ["DirectDispatcher", "create_direct_dispatcher_pair"]
+
+DIRECT_TRANSPORT_KIND = "direct"
+
+
+_Request = Callable[[str, Mapping[str, Any] | None, CallOptions | None], Awaitable[dict[str, Any]]]
+_Notify = Callable[[str, Mapping[str, Any] | None], Awaitable[None]]
+
+
+@dataclass
+class _DirectDispatchContext:
+    """`DispatchContext` for an inbound request on a `DirectDispatcher`.
+
+    The back-channel callables target the *originating* side, so a handler's
+    `send_request` reaches the peer that made the inbound request.
+    """
+
+    transport: TransportContext
+    _back_request: _Request
+    _back_notify: _Notify
+    _on_progress: ProgressFnT | None = None
+    cancel_requested: anyio.Event = field(default_factory=anyio.Event)
+
+    async def notify(self, method: str, params: Mapping[str, Any] | None) -> None:
+        await self._back_notify(method, params)
+
+    async def send_request(
+        self,
+        method: str,
+        params: Mapping[str, Any] | None,
+        opts: CallOptions | None = None,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        if not self.transport.can_send_request:
+            raise NoBackChannelError(method)
+        return await self._back_request(method, params, opts)
+
+    async def progress(self, progress: float, total: float | None = None, message: str | None = None) -> None:
+        if self._on_progress is not None:
+            await self._on_progress(progress, total, message)
+
+
+class DirectDispatcher:
+    """A `Dispatcher` that calls a peer's handlers directly, in-process.
+
+    Two instances are wired together with `create_direct_dispatcher_pair`; each
+    holds a reference to the other. `send_request` on one awaits the peer's
+    `on_request`. `run` parks until `close` is called.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, transport_ctx: TransportContext):
+        self._transport_ctx = transport_ctx
+        self._peer: DirectDispatcher | None = None
+        self._on_request: OnRequest | None = None
+        self._on_notify: OnNotify | None = None
+        self._ready = anyio.Event()
+        self._closed = anyio.Event()
+
+    def connect_to(self, peer: DirectDispatcher) -> None:
+        self._peer = peer
+
+    async def send_request(
+        self,
+        method: str,
+        params: Mapping[str, Any] | None,
+        opts: CallOptions | None = None,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        if self._peer is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("DirectDispatcher has no peer; use create_direct_dispatcher_pair()")
+        return await self._peer._dispatch_request(method, params, opts)
+
+    async def notify(self, method: str, params: Mapping[str, Any] | None) -> None:
+        if self._peer is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("DirectDispatcher has no peer; use create_direct_dispatcher_pair()")
+        await self._peer._dispatch_notify(method, params)
+
+    async def run(self, on_request: OnRequest, on_notify: OnNotify) -> None:
+        self._on_request = on_request
+        self._on_notify = on_notify
+        self._ready.set()
+        await self._closed.wait()
+
+    def close(self) -> None:
+        self._closed.set()
+
+    def _make_context(self, on_progress: ProgressFnT | None = None) -> _DirectDispatchContext:
+        assert self._peer is not None
+        peer = self._peer
+        return _DirectDispatchContext(
+            transport=self._transport_ctx,
+            _back_request=lambda m, p, o: peer._dispatch_request(m, p, o),
+            _back_notify=lambda m, p: peer._dispatch_notify(m, p),
+            _on_progress=on_progress,
+        )
+
+    async def _dispatch_request(
+        self,
+        method: str,
+        params: Mapping[str, Any] | None,
+        opts: CallOptions | None,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        await self._ready.wait()
+        assert self._on_request is not None
+        opts = opts or {}
+        dctx = self._make_context(on_progress=opts.get("on_progress"))
+        try:
+            with anyio.fail_after(opts.get("timeout")):
+                try:
+                    return await self._on_request(dctx, method, params)
+                except MCPError:
+                    raise
+                except Exception as e:
+                    raise MCPError(code=INTERNAL_ERROR, message=str(e)) from e
+        except TimeoutError:
+            raise MCPError(
+                code=REQUEST_TIMEOUT,
+                message=f"Timed out after {opts.get('timeout')}s waiting for {method!r}",
+            ) from None
+
+    async def _dispatch_notify(self, method: str, params: Mapping[str, Any] | None) -> None:
+        await self._ready.wait()
+        assert self._on_notify is not None
+        dctx = self._make_context()
+        await self._on_notify(dctx, method, params)
+
+
+def create_direct_dispatcher_pair(
+    *,
+    can_send_request: bool = True,
+) -> tuple[DirectDispatcher, DirectDispatcher]:
+    """Create two `DirectDispatcher` instances wired to each other.
+
+    Args:
+        can_send_request: Sets `TransportContext.can_send_request` on both
+            sides. Pass ``False`` to simulate a transport with no back-channel.
+
+    Returns:
+        A ``(left, right)`` pair. Conventionally ``left`` is the client side
+        and ``right`` is the server side, but the wiring is symmetric.
+    """
+    ctx = TransportContext(kind=DIRECT_TRANSPORT_KIND, can_send_request=can_send_request)
+    left = DirectDispatcher(ctx)
+    right = DirectDispatcher(ctx)
+    left.connect_to(right)
+    right.connect_to(left)
+    return left, right
diff --git a/src/mcp/shared/dispatcher.py b/src/mcp/shared/dispatcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+"""Dispatcher Protocol — the call/return boundary between transports and handlers.
+
+A Dispatcher turns a duplex message channel into two things:
+
+* an outbound API: ``send_request(method, params)`` and ``notify(method, params)``
+* an inbound pump: ``run(on_request, on_notify)`` that drives the receive loop
+  and invokes the supplied handlers for each incoming request/notification
+
+It is deliberately *not* MCP-aware. Method names are strings, params and
+results are ``dict[str, Any]``. The MCP type layer (request/result models,
+capability negotiation, ``Context``) sits above this; the wire encoding
+(JSON-RPC, gRPC, in-process direct calls) sits below it.
+
+See ``JSONRPCDispatcher`` for the production implementation and
+``DirectDispatcher`` for an in-memory implementation used in tests and for
+embedding a server in-process.
+"""
+
+from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable, Mapping
+from typing import Any, Protocol, TypedDict, TypeVar, runtime_checkable
+
+import anyio
+
+from mcp.shared.transport_context import TransportContext
+
+__all__ = [
+    "CallOptions",
+    "DispatchContext",
+    "DispatchMiddleware",
+    "Dispatcher",
+    "OnNotify",
+    "OnRequest",
+    "Outbound",
+    "ProgressFnT",
+]
+
+TransportT_co = TypeVar("TransportT_co", bound=TransportContext, covariant=True)
+
+
+class ProgressFnT(Protocol):
+    """Callback invoked when a progress notification arrives for a pending request."""
+
+    async def __call__(self, progress: float, total: float | None, message: str | None) -> None: ...
+
+
+class CallOptions(TypedDict, total=False):
+    """Per-call options for `Outbound.send_request`.
+
+    All keys are optional. Dispatchers ignore keys they do not understand.
+    """
+
+    timeout: float
+    """Seconds to wait for a result before raising and sending ``notifications/cancelled``."""
+
+    on_progress: ProgressFnT
+    """Receive ``notifications/progress`` updates for this request."""
+
+    resumption_token: str
+    """Opaque token to resume a previously interrupted request (transport-dependent)."""
+
+    on_resumption_token: Callable[[str], Awaitable[None]]
+    """Receive a resumption token when the transport issues one."""
+
+
+@runtime_checkable
+class Outbound(Protocol):
+    """Anything that can send requests and notifications to the peer.
+
+    Both `Dispatcher` (top-level outbound) and `DispatchContext` (back-channel
+    during an inbound request) extend this. `PeerMixin` wraps an `Outbound` to
+    provide typed MCP request/notification methods.
+    """
+
+    async def send_request(
+        self,
+        method: str,
+        params: Mapping[str, Any] | None,
+        opts: CallOptions | None = None,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """Send a request and await its result.
+
+        Raises:
+            MCPError: If the peer responded with an error, or the handler
+                raised. Implementations normalize all handler exceptions to
+                `MCPError` so callers see a single exception type.
+        """
+        ...
+
+    async def notify(self, method: str, params: Mapping[str, Any] | None) -> None:
+        """Send a fire-and-forget notification."""
+        ...
+
+
+class DispatchContext(Outbound, Protocol[TransportT_co]):
+    """Per-request context handed to ``on_request`` / ``on_notify``.
+
+    Carries the transport metadata for the inbound message and provides the
+    back-channel for sending requests/notifications to the peer while handling
+    it. `send_request` raises `NoBackChannelError` if
+    ``transport.can_send_request`` is ``False``.
+    """
+
+    @property
+    def transport(self) -> TransportT_co:
+        """Transport-specific metadata for this inbound message."""
+        ...
+
+    @property
+    def cancel_requested(self) -> anyio.Event:
+        """Set when the peer sends ``notifications/cancelled`` for this request."""
+        ...
+
+    async def progress(self, progress: float, total: float | None = None, message: str | None = None) -> None:
+        """Report progress for the inbound request, if the peer supplied a progress token.
+
+        A no-op when no token was supplied.
+        """
+        ...
+
+
+OnRequest = Callable[[DispatchContext[TransportContext], str, Mapping[str, Any] | None], Awaitable[dict[str, Any]]]
+"""Handler for inbound requests: ``(ctx, method, params) -> result``. Raise ``MCPError`` to send an error response."""
+
+OnNotify = Callable[[DispatchContext[TransportContext], str, Mapping[str, Any] | None], Awaitable[None]]
+"""Handler for inbound notifications: ``(ctx, method, params)``."""
+
+DispatchMiddleware = Callable[[OnRequest], OnRequest]
+"""Wraps an ``OnRequest`` to produce another ``OnRequest``. Applied outermost-first."""
+
+
+class Dispatcher(Outbound, Protocol[TransportT_co]):
+    """A duplex request/notification channel with call-return semantics.
+
+    Implementations own correlation of outbound requests to inbound results, the
+    receive loop, per-request concurrency, and cancellation/progress wiring.
+    """
+
+    async def run(self, on_request: OnRequest, on_notify: OnNotify) -> None:
+        """Drive the receive loop until the underlying channel closes.
+
+        Each inbound request is dispatched to ``on_request`` in its own task;
+        the returned dict (or raised ``MCPError``) is sent back as the response.
+        Inbound notifications go to ``on_notify``.
+        """
+        ...
diff --git a/src/mcp/shared/exceptions.py b/src/mcp/shared/exceptions.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from typing import Any, cast
 
-from mcp.types import URL_ELICITATION_REQUIRED, ElicitRequestURLParams, ErrorData, JSONRPCError
+from mcp.types import INVALID_REQUEST, URL_ELICITATION_REQUIRED, ElicitRequestURLParams, ErrorData, JSONRPCError
 
 
 class MCPError(Exception):
@@ -41,6 +41,25 @@ def __str__(self) -> str:
         return self.message
 
 
+class NoBackChannelError(MCPError):
+    """Raised when sending a server-initiated request over a transport that cannot deliver it.
+
+    Stateless HTTP and JSON-response-mode HTTP have no channel for the server to
+    push requests (sampling, elicitation, roots/list) to the client. This is
+    raised by `DispatchContext.send_request` when `transport.can_send_request`
+    is ``False``, and serializes to an ``INVALID_REQUEST`` error response.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, method: str):
+        super().__init__(
+            code=INVALID_REQUEST,
+            message=(
+                f"Cannot send {method!r}: this transport context has no back-channel for server-initiated requests."
+            ),
+        )
+        self.method = method
+
+
 class StatelessModeNotSupported(RuntimeError):
     """Raised when attempting to use a method that is not supported in stateless mode.
 

diff --git a/src/mcp/shared/transport_context.py b/src/mcp/shared/transport_context.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"""Transport-specific metadata attached to each inbound message.
+
+`TransportContext` is the base; each transport defines its own subclass with
+whatever fields make sense (HTTP request id, ASGI scope, stdio process handle,
+etc.). The dispatcher passes it through opaquely; only the layers above the
+dispatcher (`ServerRunner`, `Context`, user handlers) read its concrete fields.
+"""
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+__all__ = ["TransportContext"]
+
+
+@dataclass(kw_only=True, frozen=True)
+class TransportContext:
+    """Base transport metadata for an inbound message.
+
+    Subclass per transport and add fields as needed. Instances are immutable.
+    """
+
+    kind: str
+    """Short identifier for the transport (e.g. ``"stdio"``, ``"streamable-http"``)."""
+
+    can_send_request: bool
+    """Whether the transport can deliver server-initiated requests to the peer.
+
+    ``False`` for stateless HTTP and HTTP with JSON response mode; ``True`` for
+    stdio, SSE, and stateful streamable HTTP. When ``False``,
+    `DispatchContext.send_request` raises `NoBackChannelError`.
+    """