`claude mcp list` shows "Connected" even when the target port is not open — misleading status label

Status Closed — not planned
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 3 comments · opened Apr 10, 2026 · closed May 22, 2026

Symptom

claude mcp list displays "Connected" for MCP servers regardless of whether the target port is actually open. The label implies a live connection, but it only means "the entry is registered."

How to reproduce

  1. Register an MCP server pointing to a port that has no process running (e.g., --browserUrl=http://127.0.0.1:9222 with no Chrome instance)
  2. Run claude mcp list
  3. Server shows "Connected"
  4. Call any tool from that server → immediate "connection refused" error

Expected behavior

  • "Connected" should mean the port is reachable and the server is responding
  • Or the label should be changed to "Registered" / "Configured" to accurately reflect that only the entry exists, not an active connection

Actual behavior

  • "Connected" is shown unconditionally after mcp add, with no port reachability check
  • Users assume the server is live and waste time debugging why tool calls fail

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