MCP Core Maintainers Approve Long-Running Tasks for Next Protocol Version

London, UK – The Model Context Protocol (MCP) Core Maintainers have officially accepted a proposal to integrate a "long running Tasks concept" into the next version of the protocol. The announcement was made by David Soria Parra, a Lead Maintainer and co-creator of MCP, who stated on social media, > "We (MCP Core Maintainers) accepted a proposal to add a long running Tasks concept to the next version of MCP: https://t.co/ehzMNU3rnW . There are details to iterate on, but the direction is accepted." This development signals a significant enhancement to the protocol's capabilities, particularly for handling extended operations.

David Soria Parra, also a Member of Technical Staff at Anthropic, highlighted "asynchronous tasks" as a key focus for an upcoming release during his keynote at the MCP Developers Summit EU 2025. This feature is designed to address existing challenges and is one of the most frequently requested by the community. The Model Context Protocol is an open-source project aimed at standardizing how AI models interact with various tools and services, fostering a robust ecosystem of integrations.

The "long running Tasks concept" is expected to streamline the execution and management of operations that require extended processing times, preventing timeouts and improving the overall user experience. This enhancement is particularly beneficial for complex AI workflows that involve multiple steps or intensive computations. The move reflects MCP's commitment to evolving its specification to meet the demands of a rapidly advancing AI landscape.

While the specific implementation details are still under discussion, the acceptance of the proposal marks a clear direction for the protocol's future. This strategic decision by the Core Maintainers underscores the project's focus on practical utility and scalability for developers and enterprises utilizing the Model Context Protocol. The community can anticipate further iterations and public discussions as the concept is refined for integration into the next protocol version.