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

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Apr 10, 2026 by coverboy 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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