initialize method is the first request an AI client must send after connecting. It negotiates the protocol version and returns the server’s capabilities, name, and version.
MCP Endpoint
Request
string
required
Must be
"2.0".integer | string
required
Arbitrary request identifier echoed back unchanged in the response.
string
required
Must be
"initialize".string
required
The MCP protocol version the client supports (e.g.
"2024-11-05").object
Client-declared capabilities object (e.g.
roots, sampling). Can be empty {}.string
Human-readable name of the connecting client (e.g.
"claude-desktop").string
Version string of the connecting client (e.g.
"1.0.0").Response
string
The protocol version the server selected (matches or falls back from the client’s requested version).
object
Server-declared capabilities. GetMCP reports
tools.listChanged: true.string
The server’s display name as configured in GetMCP admin.
string
The GetMCP plugin version string.
Response Headers
Follow-up Notification
After receiving theinitialize response, the client should send the notifications/initialized notification to signal it’s ready:
id field), so no response is expected.

