ext/tasks, SEP-2663 Tasks Extension ¶

Go module for the v2 task surface defined by SEP-2663 (merged Final 2026-05-15). Provides server-directed async task execution registered as a protocol extension under capabilities.extensions["io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks"].

Looking for a guided walk-through? Read docs/TASKS_TUTORIAL.md, which covers when to use tasks vs sync vs MRTR, the GoAsync sentinel + middleware peek, lifecycle, the in-task input flow (TaskElicit / TaskSample), notifications + the G6 filter, cancellation semantics, and the multi-tenancy caveat on stateless. For the sibling MRTR surface (SEP-2322 multi-round-trip requests), see docs/MRTR_TUTORIAL.md. This README is the API reference; the tutorials are the conceptual walk-throughs.

Why a sub-module ¶

SEP-2663 defines tasks as an extension, not a top-level capability. ext/tasks mirrors the same pattern ext/auth and ext/ui use: a separate go.mod consumed by servers that opt into the extension. v1 (the legacy capabilities.tasks surface) stays in server/ as RegisterTasksV1 and continues to ship until decommissioned.

Quickstart ¶

import (
    "github.com/panyam/mcpkit/server"
    "github.com/panyam/mcpkit/ext/tasks"
)

srv := server.NewServer(info)

srv.RegisterTool(
    core.ToolDef{
        Name:        "slow_compute",
        Description: "...",
        Execution:   &core.ToolExecution{TaskSupport: core.TaskSupportOptional},
    },
    func(ctx core.ToolContext, req core.ToolRequest) (core.ToolResponse, error) {
        // Handlers whose work is genuinely async opt into the continuation
        // goroutine by returning core.GoAsyncResult{} — see "Handler pattern" below.
        if tasks.GetTaskContext(ctx) == nil {
            return core.GoAsyncResult{}, nil
        }
        // Real work runs here, with TaskContext available for TaskElicit /
        // TaskSample / SetStatus / progress emission under the G6 filter.
        return core.TextResult("done"), nil
    },
)

tasks.Register(tasks.Config{Server: srv})

tasks.Register installs the v2 middleware that intercepts tools/call for task-eligible tools, registers the tasks/get / tasks/update / tasks/cancel method handlers (all gated on the client declaring the extension), and advertises the extension in the initialize response.

ToolHandler returns the sealed core.ToolResponse interface; the middleware dispatches on the concrete variant, one of ToolResult, InputRequiredResult, CreateTaskResult, or GoAsyncResult.

Handler pattern ¶

mcpkit’s v2 middleware runs the handler synchronously first and then dispatches on the concrete ToolResponse variant it returned. The handler chooses one of three shapes:

Handler returns	Middleware does	When to use
core.InputRequiredResult via ctx.RequestInput(...)	Passes through unchanged; no task created	SEP-2322 MRTR round - gather input before deciding whether to escalate
core.GoAsyncResult{}	Mints a task, spawns continuation goroutine that re-invokes the handler with TaskContext attached, returns CreateTaskResult	Slow / blocking work, TaskElicit / TaskSample calls, progress emission that should be filtered
core.ToolResult{...} (a regular sync result)	Wraps as a born-terminal task (status: completed, result stored, one notifications/tasks event fired), returns CreateTaskResult	Sync work that finishes immediately on a TaskSupport=optional/required tool

The continuation goroutine re-invokes the same handler with a TaskContext accessible via tasks.GetTaskContext(ctx). The handler typically branches on that:

func myHandler(ctx core.ToolContext, req core.ToolRequest) (core.ToolResponse, error) {
    if tasks.GetTaskContext(ctx) != nil {
        // Continuation: do the real work. TaskElicit / TaskSample / SetStatus
        // are all available; emissions are filtered per SEP-2663 G6.
        return doRealWork(ctx, req)
    }

    // Optional MRTR phase: gather input via ctx.RequestInput first.
    // ctx.RequestInput returns (core.InputRequiredResult, error) directly;
    // InputRequiredResult satisfies ToolResponse.
    if ctx.InputResponse("user_name") == nil {
        return ctx.RequestInput(core.InputRequests{
            "user_name": core.InputRequest{Method: "elicitation/create", Params: ...},
        })
    }

    // MRTR complete; defer the rest to the continuation goroutine.
    return core.GoAsyncResult{}, nil
}

The examples/mrtr reference fixture’s test_tool_with_task walks this exact pattern end-to-end (drives the matching mrtr-tasks-composition conformance scenario). For the full conceptual walk-through (MRTR as a stateless continuation primitive, capabilities across wires, progressToken, the G6 filter replacement table, MRTR vs push vs task-input-flow), see docs/MRTR_TUTORIAL.md.

G6 filter scope: the SEP-2663 G6 session-notify filter (notifications/progress and notifications/message MUST NOT be sent on tasks) is installed only on the continuation goroutine’s bgCtx. A sync-returning handler runs on the unfiltered POST ctx and is responsible for not leaking those notifications itself.

Surface ¶

Symbol	Purpose
tasks.Register(tasks.Config)	Canonical entry point.
tasks.Config	Holds Server, Store, DefaultTTLMs, DefaultPollMs, TracerProvider.
tasks.TaskContext	Typed-context for tool handlers running as v2 tasks. Exposes TaskID(), ProgressToken(), SetStatus(status), TaskElicit(req), TaskSample(req).
tasks.WithTaskContext / tasks.GetTaskContext	Context wiring (mirrors core’s typed-context pattern).

Tracing (SEP-414 P6, issue 659) ¶

Optional. Set Config.TracerProvider to opt the runtime into span-link instrumentation of the async task lifecycle:

tasks.Register(tasks.Config{
    Server:         srv,
    TracerProvider: mcpotel.NewProvider(otelTP), // or any core.TracerProvider
})

What gets emitted:

• task.execute span on the GoAsync path - a NEW root trace (not a child of the create span, since the work outlives the tools/call dispatch span) carrying a Link back to the originating tools/call create span. Attributes: mcp.task.id (at start), mcp.task.status (stamped at End from the final stored status, one of completed / failed / cancelled / input_required). RecordError fires on protocol-level failures (mwErr, resp.Error, unexpected result shape, panic recover); handler-returned errors map to completed with IsError=true per SEP-2663 semantics.
• AddLink on each tasks/get / tasks/update / tasks/cancel dispatch span - points back to the originating create span so a backend can pivot from any poll into the whole lifecycle.

Nil or core.NoopTracerProvider{} (the default) skips the install, with zero overhead and zero allocation. ext/tasks depends on core only; no compile-time dep on ext/otel. The contract details (core.WithNewRootSpan, core.LinkedTracerProvider, core.Link) live in docs/SEP_414_OTEL.md § Span links and § New-root-span marker.

The wire types (CreateTaskResult, DetailedTask, UpdateTaskRequest, TaskInfoV2, etc.) live in core/task_v2.go since they’re consumed by both server and client.

Relationship to server/ ¶

• ext/tasks uses server.Server, server.Middleware, server.MethodHandler, server.Registry, server.TaskStore, server.NewInMemoryStore. These are the generic server primitives any extension consumes.
• ext/tasks duplicates v2-flavoured pieces (TaskContext, activeTask, generateTaskID) rather than sharing with v1’s versions in server/. Rationale: v1 is frozen and decommed-bound; once it retires, deletion in server/ is total without unwinding cross-package shared types.
• The previous RegisterTasksHybrid (a single helper installing both v1 and v2 on one server) was dropped during the move. See docs/TASKS_V2_MIGRATION.md for the recommended two-call pattern.

Where the conformance suite lives ¶

panyam/mcpconformance on the feat/tasks-mrtr-extension branch. Run via just testconf-tasks-v2 in the root repo, which spawns examples/tasks-v2/tasks-v2 --serve as the reference implementation fixture.

V1-RETIREMENT markers ¶

Code that should be reconsidered when v1 retires is tagged V1-RETIREMENT: in comments. git grep V1-RETIREMENT enumerates the cleanup list at retirement time.