Hanzo
PlatformHanzo IAMConnecting to IAMMCP

MCP error handling

JSON-RPC error codes and responses from the MCP server.

Error codes

The MCP server uses standard JSON-RPC 2.0 error codes:

  • -32700: Parse error - Invalid JSON
  • -32600: Invalid Request - Missing required fields
  • -32601: Method not found - Unknown method name
  • -32602: Invalid params - Malformed parameters
  • -32001: Unauthorized or Insufficient scope

The -32001 error code covers both authentication failures and authorization issues. When you lack the required scope for a tool, the error includes details about what scope you need:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 5,
  "error": {
    "code": -32001,
    "message": "insufficient_scope",
    "data": {
      "tool": "add_application",
      "granted_scopes": ["read:application"],
      "required_scope": "write:application"
    }
  }
}

## Common Error Examples

Invalid JSON triggers a parse error:

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": null,
  "error": {
    "code": -32700,
    "message": "Parse error",
    "data": "unexpected character at position 12"
  }
}

Unknown methods return method not found:

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 8,
  "error": {
    "code": -32601,
    "message": "Method not found",
    "data": "Method 'unknown_method' not found"
  }
}

## Additional Features

The MCP server implements the full JSON-RPC 2.0 specification including notifications (requests without an `id` field) and batch requests. The `ping` method provides a simple health check:

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 9,
  "method": "ping"
}

When running in demo mode, the server restricts write operations to protect the demonstration instance while allowing all read operations and authentication flows.

How is this guide?

Last updated on

On this page