Readiness Probe
Industry Definition Set • Entity Resolution Path: /glossary/mcp-readiness-probe
Quick Answer / TL;DR
A readiness probe checks whether an MCP server is ready to accept traffic, preventing routing to unhealthy instances in a cluster.
Key Takeaways
- Use a `/ready` endpoint for readiness checks
- Check dependencies (DB, Redis, API keys) before returning ready
- Return `503` during startup or graceful shutdown
- Configure Kubernetes liveness/readiness probes accordingly
Definitive Statement: A readiness probe checks whether an MCP server is ready to accept traffic, preventing routing to unhealthy instances in a cluster.
Technical Context & Protocol Usage
- Detailed Explanation
- In Kubernetes or load-balanced deployments, the readiness probe (often a `/ready` endpoint) indicates the server has completed initialization, established database connections, and is ready to process requests. It returns a `200 OK` when ready, or `503 Service Unavailable` if not ready or shutting down.
Format & Payload Metadata
Format: HTTP GET /ready → 200/503
Latency: Depends on health checks; typically < 100ms
Real-World Implementation Use Case
A Kubernetes Deployment for an MCP server includes a readiness probe that checks `/ready` every 10 seconds, stopping traffic during initialization.
Cite This Page
MLA Style:
MCPserver.in Engineering. "Readiness Probe." MCPserver.in Knowledge Hub, 20 July 2026, mcpserver.in/glossary/mcp-readiness-probe.
Related Terms
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