Expire idle Streamable HTTP sessions by default and cap concurrent sessions

docs/run/index.md

@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ Each transport has its own keyword arguments, all on `run()`:
 * `max_request_body_size`: largest accepted request body in bytes. Defaults to 4 MiB; larger requests
   receive HTTP 413 before parsing or session creation. Raise it only when legitimate MCP messages
   exceed that size.
+* `session_idle_timeout`: seconds a legacy session may sit with nothing in flight before the
+  server closes it. Default 1800. `None` disables it. See
+  [Session lifetime and limits](legacy-clients.md#session-lifetime-and-limits).
+* `max_sessions`: how many legacy sessions one process holds at once. Default 10 000. `None`
+  removes the limit. Covered in the same section.
 * `event_store`, `retry_interval`, `transport_security`: resumability and DNS-rebinding protection. They can wait, until you deploy somewhere other than localhost; **[Deploy & scale](deploy.md)** covers `transport_security`.
 
 !!! warning

docs/run/legacy-clients.md

@@ -56,6 +56,40 @@ On one worker that is invisible. On two, it is the whole problem: a request that
     events to a client reconnecting to the *same* session), not a session store. It never makes a
     session reachable from another process.
 
+## Session lifetime and limits
+
+A legacy session does not live forever, and one process does not hold an unlimited number of
+them. Two settings control this. Both are keyword arguments on `run()`, `streamable_http_app()`
+and `Server.streamable_http_app()`. Modern (`2026-07-28`) connections and `stateless_http=True`
+have no sessions, so neither setting applies to them.
+
+| Setting | Default | What it does | What the client sees | Turn it off |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| `session_idle_timeout` | `1800` (30 min) | Closes a session that has had nothing in flight for that long. | `404 Session not found`. It has to `initialize` again. | `None` |
+| `max_sessions` | `10_000` | Refuses to open a session beyond that many. Existing sessions are untouched and nothing is evicted. | `503 Too many open sessions` with JSON-RPC code `-32603`. | `None` |
+
+What counts as "in flight":
+
+* An open `GET` stream. The SDK clients keep one open, so a connected client's session never
+  expires.
+* A request that is still being answered. A tool call that runs longer than the timeout is not
+  interrupted, and the countdown only starts once it finishes.
+* Nothing else. Between requests the clock runs. Any request on the session restarts it,
+  `ping` included. Once a session has expired, nothing revives it.
+
+A client that ends its session with `DELETE` frees it immediately. So does a client whose
+opening request was refused.
+
+```python
+mcp.run(transport="streamable-http", session_idle_timeout=None, max_sessions=50_000)
+```
+
+Both events show up in the server log. An expiry is `Session <id> idle timeout` at `INFO`. A
+refused open is `Refusing to open a new session: <n> sessions are already open` at `WARNING`.
+
+The limits are per process. With four workers the ceiling is four times `max_sessions`, and each
+worker expires its own sessions.
+
 ## The one knob: `stateless_http`
 
 If stickiness is a cost you refuse to pay, there is exactly one thing you can change.

docs/troubleshooting.md

@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ app = Starlette(routes=[Mount("/", app=mcp.streamable_http_app())], lifespan=lif
 
 ## `MCPError: Session not found`
 
-The server does not recognise the `Mcp-Session-Id` your client sent, almost always because the server **restarted** (or you were routed to a different instance). Sessions live in that one process's memory.
+The server does not recognise the `Mcp-Session-Id` your client sent. Either the server **restarted** (or you were routed to a different instance), or the session **expired** because nothing was in flight for `session_idle_timeout`, which is 30 minutes by default. See [Session lifetime and limits](run/legacy-clients.md#session-lifetime-and-limits). Sessions live in that one process's memory.
 
 There is no server bug to find. The HTTP response is a `404` whose body *is* JSON-RPC, so, unlike the `421` above, the python `Client` shows you this one verbatim:
 
@@ -256,9 +256,9 @@ There is no server bug to find. The HTTP response is a `404` whose body *is* JSO
 
 The fix is to reconnect: leave the `async with Client(...)` block and enter a new one, which negotiates a fresh session. For a long-lived client, that means catching `MCPError` around your calls and reconnecting on this message rather than retrying inside a dead session.
 
-If it happens *without* a restart, you are running more than one worker without sticky sessions: each worker holds its own session table, so a request routed to the wrong one lands here. **[Deploy & scale](run/deploy.md)** and **[Serving legacy clients](run/legacy-clients.md)** own that story and its two fixes (sticky routing, or `stateless_http=True`).
+If it happens *without* a restart and without the client having gone quiet that long, you are running more than one worker without sticky sessions: each worker holds its own session table, so a request routed to the wrong one lands here. **[Deploy & scale](run/deploy.md)** and **[Serving legacy clients](run/legacy-clients.md)** own that story and its two fixes (sticky routing, or `stateless_http=True`).
 
-For the server operator, the matching log line is `Rejected request with unknown or expired session ID: <id>`. It is logged at `INFO`, so it is invisible at the usual `WARNING` threshold. Seeing it in bursts right after a deploy is normal; every connected client is reconnecting.
+For the server operator, the matching log line is `Rejected request with unknown or expired session ID: <id>`. It is logged at `INFO`, so it is invisible at the usual `WARNING` threshold. Seeing it in bursts right after a deploy is normal; every connected client is reconnecting. When the session expired instead, that line is preceded by `Session <id> idle timeout`, also at `INFO`.
 
 ## `MCPError: Method not found`
 
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ mcp = MCPServer("Weather", request_state_security=RequestStateSecurity(keys=[key
 * `Tool already exists:` in the server log is the only sign that two same-named tools collapsed into one.
 * One 421, three spellings: `Server returned an error response` (the python `Client`), `421 Misdirected Request` / `Invalid Host header` (everything else), `Invalid Host header: <host>` (the server log). Fix: `transport_security=TransportSecuritySettings(allowed_hosts=[...])`.
 * `Task group is not initialized` -> a mounted app whose host lifespan never entered `mcp.session_manager.run()`.
-* `Session not found` -> the server restarted; reconnect.
+* `Session not found` -> the server restarted or the session expired (`session_idle_timeout`); reconnect.
 * `Cannot send 'elicitation/create': ... no back-channel ...` -> `ctx.elicit()` needs a server-to-client channel: a `2026-07-28` connection never has one, `stateless_http=True` takes away the legacy one, and `json_response=True` takes away the request-scoped one. Use a resolver (a legacy client also needs a server that keeps the channel). Its neighbour `Method not found` is a request for a method the other side's protocol revision doesn't have.
 * `Client did not declare the form elicitation capability ...` and `Elicitation not supported` -> the client is missing `elicitation_callback=`.
 * `Invalid or expired requestState` never says why on the wire. The server log does; `unknown key` means share `RequestStateSecurity(keys=[...])` across workers.

src/mcp/server/lowlevel/server.py

@@ -65,7 +65,12 @@ async def main():
 from mcp.server.models import InitializationOptions
 from mcp.server.runner import serve_dual_era_loop
 from mcp.server.streamable_http import EventStore
-from mcp.server.streamable_http_manager import StreamableHTTPASGIApp, StreamableHTTPSessionManager
+from mcp.server.streamable_http_manager import (
+    DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS,
+    DEFAULT_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT,
+    StreamableHTTPASGIApp,
+    StreamableHTTPSessionManager,
+)
 from mcp.server.transport_security import DEFAULT_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE, TransportSecuritySettings
 from mcp.shared._stream_protocols import ReadStream, WriteStream
 from mcp.shared.exceptions import MCPDeprecationWarning
@@ -722,6 +727,8 @@ def streamable_http_app(
         event_store: EventStore | None = None,
         retry_interval: int | None = None,
         max_request_body_size: int = DEFAULT_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE,
+        session_idle_timeout: float | None = DEFAULT_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT,
+        max_sessions: int | None = DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS,
         transport_security: TransportSecuritySettings | None = None,
         host: str = "127.0.0.1",
         auth: AuthSettings | None = None,
@@ -747,6 +754,8 @@ def streamable_http_app(
             stateless=stateless_http,
             security_settings=transport_security,
             max_request_body_size=max_request_body_size,
+            session_idle_timeout=session_idle_timeout,
+            max_sessions=max_sessions,
         )
         self._session_manager = session_manager
 

src/mcp/server/mcpserver/server.py

@@ -93,7 +93,11 @@
 from mcp.server.sse import SseServerTransport
 from mcp.server.stdio import stdio_server
 from mcp.server.streamable_http import EventStore
-from mcp.server.streamable_http_manager import StreamableHTTPSessionManager
+from mcp.server.streamable_http_manager import (
+    DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS,
+    DEFAULT_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT,
+    StreamableHTTPSessionManager,
+)
 from mcp.server.subscriptions import InMemorySubscriptionBus, ListenHandler, SubscriptionBus
 from mcp.server.transport_security import DEFAULT_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE, TransportSecuritySettings
 from mcp.shared.exceptions import MCPError
@@ -388,6 +392,8 @@ def run(
         event_store: EventStore | None = ...,
         retry_interval: int | None = ...,
         max_request_body_size: int = ...,
+        session_idle_timeout: float | None = ...,
+        max_sessions: int | None = ...,
         transport_security: TransportSecuritySettings | None = ...,
     ) -> None: ...
 
@@ -1106,6 +1112,8 @@ async def run_streamable_http_async(  # pragma: no cover
         event_store: EventStore | None = None,
         retry_interval: int | None = None,
         max_request_body_size: int = DEFAULT_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE,
+        session_idle_timeout: float | None = DEFAULT_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT,
+        max_sessions: int | None = DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS,
         transport_security: TransportSecuritySettings | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         """Run the server using StreamableHTTP transport."""
@@ -1118,6 +1126,8 @@ async def run_streamable_http_async(  # pragma: no cover
             event_store=event_store,
             retry_interval=retry_interval,
             max_request_body_size=max_request_body_size,
+            session_idle_timeout=session_idle_timeout,
+            max_sessions=max_sessions,
             transport_security=transport_security,
             host=host,
         )
@@ -1270,6 +1280,8 @@ def streamable_http_app(
         event_store: EventStore | None = None,
         retry_interval: int | None = None,
         max_request_body_size: int = DEFAULT_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE,
+        session_idle_timeout: float | None = DEFAULT_SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT,
+        max_sessions: int | None = DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS,
         transport_security: TransportSecuritySettings | None = None,
         host: str = "127.0.0.1",
     ) -> Starlette:
@@ -1281,6 +1293,8 @@ def streamable_http_app(
             event_store=event_store,
             retry_interval=retry_interval,
             max_request_body_size=max_request_body_size,
+            session_idle_timeout=session_idle_timeout,
+            max_sessions=max_sessions,
             transport_security=transport_security,
             host=host,
             auth=self.settings.auth,

src/mcp/server/streamable_http.py

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 """
 
 import logging
+import math
 import re
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from collections.abc import AsyncGenerator, Awaitable, Callable
@@ -167,6 +168,7 @@ def __init__(
         event_store: EventStore | None = None,
         security_settings: TransportSecuritySettings | None = None,
         retry_interval: int | None = None,
+        idle_timeout: float | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         """Initialize a new StreamableHTTP server transport.
 
@@ -187,12 +189,22 @@ def __init__(
                            retry field. When set, the server will send a retry field in
                            SSE priming events to control client reconnection timing for
                            polling behavior. Only used when event_store is provided.
+            idle_timeout: Seconds the session may go without any request in flight before
+                         `idle_scope` is cancelled. A request being served or an open GET
+                         stream holds the session open; the countdown starts each time the
+                         last in-flight request completes. The host enters `idle_scope`
+                         (available once `connect()` has been entered) around the session's
+                         message loop to end the session when it fires. Default is None: no
+                         `idle_scope`, the session never expires.
 
         Raises:
-            ValueError: If the session ID contains invalid characters.
+            ValueError: If the session ID contains invalid characters, or if `idle_timeout`
+                        is not a positive, finite number.
         """
         if mcp_session_id is not None and not SESSION_ID_PATTERN.fullmatch(mcp_session_id):
             raise ValueError("Session ID must only contain visible ASCII characters (0x21-0x7E)")
+        if idle_timeout is not None and not (math.isfinite(idle_timeout) and idle_timeout > 0):
+            raise ValueError("idle_timeout must be a positive, finite number of seconds")
 
         self.mcp_session_id = mcp_session_id
         self.is_json_response_enabled = is_json_response_enabled
@@ -208,8 +220,11 @@ def __init__(
         ] = {}
         self._sse_stream_writers: dict[RequestId, MemoryObjectSendStream[SSEEvent]] = {}
         self._terminated = False
-        # Idle timeout cancel scope; managed by the session manager.
+        self._idle_timeout = idle_timeout
+        self._requests_in_flight = 0
         self.idle_scope: anyio.CancelScope | None = None
+        """Created when `connect()` is entered if `idle_timeout` is set; cancelled once no request has been in
+        flight for `idle_timeout` seconds."""
 
     @property
     def is_terminated(self) -> bool:
@@ -458,6 +473,32 @@ async def _clean_up_memory_streams(self, request_id: RequestId) -> None:
 
     async def handle_request(self, scope: Scope, receive: Receive, send: Send) -> None:
         """Application entry point that handles all HTTP requests."""
+        if self.idle_scope is None or self._idle_timeout is None:
+            await self._handle_request(scope, receive, send)
+            return
+
+        if self.idle_scope.cancel_called:
+            # The idle period already ran out and the host is ending this
+            # session: answer as terminated rather than dispatch into a
+            # message loop that is going away.
+            if not self._terminated:
+                await self.terminate()
+            await self._handle_request(scope, receive, send)
+            return
+
+        # A request in flight (an open GET stream included) holds the session:
+        # the idle countdown is suspended while any is being served and
+        # restarts when the last one completes.
+        self._requests_in_flight += 1
+        self.idle_scope.deadline = math.inf
+        try:
+            await self._handle_request(scope, receive, send)
+        finally:
+            self._requests_in_flight -= 1
+            if not self._requests_in_flight:
+                self.idle_scope.deadline = anyio.current_time() + self._idle_timeout
+
+    async def _handle_request(self, scope: Scope, receive: Receive, send: Send) -> None:
         request = Request(scope, receive)
 
         # Validate request headers for DNS rebinding protection
@@ -793,7 +834,7 @@ async def _handle_delete_request(self, request: Request, send: Send) -> None:
             await response(request.scope, request.receive, send)
             return
 
-        if not await self._validate_request_headers(request, send):  # pragma: no cover
+        if not await self._validate_request_headers(request, send):
             return
 
         await self.terminate()
@@ -995,6 +1036,8 @@ async def connect(
         Yields:
             Tuple of (read_stream, write_stream) for bidirectional communication
         """
+        if self._idle_timeout is not None:
+            self.idle_scope = anyio.CancelScope()
 
         # Create the memory streams for this connection