Missing MCP Server Instructions Processing in Claude Code
Status Fixed / completed
Maintainer reply ✓ Yes — ashwin-ant
Activity 7 comments · opened Jul 10, 2025 · closed Jul 18, 2025
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (ashwin-ant, collaborator)
responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.
Bug Description
The spec indicates that an MCP server can return instructions in the initalize response. I took this to mean instructions as in an LLM conversation instructions that would be added to the context so the use of the MCP would follow guidance provided by the MCP server. If this is not the case I suggest that the field be named "documentation" or the like so it is not confused. If my interpretation was correct then Claude Code is not processing the returned instructions.
Not sure what the error below is from.
Environment Info
- Platform: darwin
- Terminal: iTerm.app
- Version: 1.0.48
- Feedback ID: 780d4022-4802-420e-9c71-655f5e154376
Errors
[{"error":"Error: Command failed: security find-generic-password -a $USER -w -s \"Claude Code\"\nsecurity: SecKeychainSearchCopyNext: The specified item could not be found in the keychain.\n\n at checkExecSyncError (node:child_process:890:11)\n at execSync (node:child_process:962:15)\n at $D (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:704:4293)\n at file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:623:9350\n at Q (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:526:14406)\n at dC (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:623:8496)\n at mC (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:623:7361)\n at wB (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:623:11970)\n at spA (file:///Users/michaellatta2/.nvm/versions/node/v18.20.8/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js:623:12128)","timestamp":"2025-07-10T23:13:57.132Z"}]
7 Comments
goose respects MCP init instructions, would love it if claude code did too!
Coming soon!
This should be working in 1.0.52
Err sorry, it'll be in 1.0.53!
@ashwin-ant Awesome, thanks! Would you mind shedding some light on how it's used? Does it get injected into the system prompt or something?
(Happy to wait for the changelog if it'll be covered in there.)
Hey, this is out now. The instructions get added to the system prompt, yeah. We add something like:
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