MCP Timeout
Industry Definition Set • Entity Resolution Path: /glossary/mcp-timeout
Quick Answer / TL;DR
MCP timeout defines the maximum time a client will wait for a server response before aborting the request.
Key Takeaways
- Set per-request or global timeouts
- Prevents hanging on slow servers
- Typical values: 5-30 seconds
- Graceful error handling on timeout
Definitive Statement: MCP timeout defines the maximum time a client will wait for a server response before aborting the request.
Technical Context & Protocol Usage
- Detailed Explanation
- Timeouts prevent clients from hanging indefinitely if a server is slow or unresponsive. Typical timeout values range from 5 to 30 seconds, depending on the expected duration of the tool call. The client can set per-request timeouts.
Format & Payload Metadata
Format: Timeout in milliseconds
Latency: Timeout value only
Real-World Implementation Use Case
An AI agent sets a 10-second timeout for a database query that may be slow.
Cite This Page
MLA Style:
MCPserver.in Engineering. "MCP Timeout." MCPserver.in Knowledge Hub, 20 July 2026, mcpserver.in/glossary/mcp-timeout.
Related Terms
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
An open, secure protocol that standardizes how artificial intelligence agents and large language models (LLMs) exchange context, tools, prompts, and data resources with external servers.
JSON-RPC 2.0
A lightweight, stateless remote procedure call (RPC) protocol defined in JSON that utilizes request, response, and notification message frames.
Stdio Transport (Standard Input/Output)
A local-only transport mechanism where the AI client spawns the MCP server as a child process and communicates via standard input (stdin) and standard output (stdout) channels.
SSE Transport (Server-Sent Events)
A lightweight, unidirectional HTTP-based streaming protocol used by remote MCP servers to push messages to AI clients, with client-to-server writes sent over standard POST requests.
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