Schema libraries

Register a tool with an ArkType schema

inputSchema accepts any Standard Schema that can produce JSON Schema — ArkType works as-is, no wrapper, exactly like the Zod schemas in Tools.

import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/server';
import { type } from 'arktype';

const server = new McpServer({ name: 'schema-zoo', version: '1.0.0' });

server.registerTool(
    'greet',
    {
        description: 'Greet someone by name',
        inputSchema: type({ name: 'string', 'times?': '1 <= number.integer <= 5' })
    },
    async ({ name, times }) => ({
        content: [{ type: 'text', text: Array.from({ length: times ?? 1 }, () => `Hello, ${name}`).join('\n') }]
    })
);

From that one schema the SDK derives the JSON Schema the model sees, validates arguments before your handler runs, and infers the handler's argument types — name is string, times is number | undefined.

Every call on this page comes from an in-memory Client connected to this server — Test a server shows that wiring. Call greet with times: 99 and the SDK rejects the call with ArkType's own message; the handler never runs:

{
  content: [
    {
      type: 'text',
      text: 'Input validation error: Invalid arguments for tool greet: times: times must be at most 5 (was 99)'
    }
  ],
  isError: true
}

::: info Coming from v1? Raw shapes (inputSchema: { name: z.string() }) are deprecated — pass a schema object. See the upgrade guide. :::

Register a tool with a Valibot schema

Valibot does not expose JSON Schema conversion on the schema itself — wrap it with toStandardJsonSchema from @valibot/to-json-schema.

import { toStandardJsonSchema } from '@valibot/to-json-schema';
import * as v from 'valibot';

server.registerTool(
    'shout',
    { description: 'Greet someone, loudly', inputSchema: toStandardJsonSchema(v.object({ name: v.string() })) },
    async ({ name }) => ({ content: [{ type: 'text', text: `HELLO, ${name.toUpperCase()}` }] })
);

tools/list now advertises shout with the JSON Schema the wrapper derives, and Valibot parses every call that reaches the handler.

Start from JSON Schema you already have

fromJsonSchema (exported from @modelcontextprotocol/server) wraps a plain JSON Schema document so you can register it without a schema library. The generic parameter types the handler's arguments; omit it and they are unknown.

import { fromJsonSchema } from '@modelcontextprotocol/server';

server.registerTool(
    'farewell',
    {
        description: 'Say goodbye',
        inputSchema: fromJsonSchema<{ name: string }>({
            type: 'object',
            properties: { name: { type: 'string' } },
            required: ['name']
        })
    },
    async ({ name }) => ({ content: [{ type: 'text', text: `Goodbye, ${name}` }] })
);

tools/list advertises the document you passed, unchanged:

{
  type: 'object',
  properties: { name: { type: 'string' } },
  required: [ 'name' ]
}

The SDK checks every call against it with a real JSON Schema validator — the last two sections pick which one.

Validate structured output with any library

outputSchema — and a prompt's argsSchema — follow the same Standard Schema rule. Return the matching value as structuredContent, next to the human-readable content.

server.registerTool(
    'measure',
    {
        description: 'Measure the length of a name',
        inputSchema: type({ name: 'string' }),
        outputSchema: type({ name: 'string', length: 'number' })
    },
    async ({ name }) => {
        const output = { name, length: name.length };
        return { content: [{ type: 'text', text: JSON.stringify(output) }], structuredContent: output };
    }
);

The SDK validates structuredContent against the ArkType schema before the result leaves your server. Calling measure with { name: 'Ada' } returns both renderings:

{
  content: [ { type: 'text', text: '{"name":"Ada","length":3}' } ],
  structuredContent: { name: 'Ada', length: 3 }
}

Swap the JSON Schema validator

The server runs a JSON Schema validator in two places: a fromJsonSchema schema, and elicitation form responses. Build one from the validators/ajv subpath, which re-exports the SDK's bundled Ajv and addFormats.

import { addFormats, Ajv, AjvJsonSchemaValidator } from '@modelcontextprotocol/server/validators/ajv';

const ajv = new Ajv({ strict: true, allErrors: true });
addFormats(ajv);
const validator = new AjvJsonSchemaValidator(ajv);

const strict = new McpServer({ name: 'schema-zoo', version: '1.0.0' }, { jsonSchemaValidator: validator });

strict now checks elicitation form responses with your Ajv instance.

::: warning jsonSchemaValidator covers elicitation form responses only. A fromJsonSchema schema binds its validator at creation — pass yours as the second argument: fromJsonSchema(document, validator). :::

Pick the validator for your runtime

Leave jsonSchemaValidator unset and the SDK selects by runtime: AJV on Node.js, @cfworker/json-schema on workerd and in browsers. Import from the validators/cf-worker subpath to pin the lightweight one anywhere.

import { CfWorkerJsonSchemaValidator } from '@modelcontextprotocol/server/validators/cf-worker';

const edge = new McpServer({ name: 'schema-zoo', version: '1.0.0' }, { jsonSchemaValidator: new CfWorkerJsonSchemaValidator() });

edge runs the same two validation paths through @cfworker/json-schema instead of AJV, on any runtime.

Recap

• inputSchema, outputSchema, and a prompt's argsSchema accept any Standard Schema that exposes JSON Schema — Zod and ArkType as-is, Valibot through @valibot/to-json-schema.
• The raw-shape overload (inputSchema: { name: z.string() }) is deprecated; pass a schema object.
• fromJsonSchema(document) registers a JSON Schema you already have; the generic parameter types the handler's arguments.
• jsonSchemaValidator on the server options swaps the validator for elicitation form responses; fromJsonSchema takes its own as a second argument.
• The default validator is runtime-selected — AJV on Node.js, @cfworker/json-schema on workerd and browsers — and the validators/ajv and validators/cf-worker subpaths force either one.

Source: docs/advanced/schema-libraries.md