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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","headline":"Audit and fix missing ReadOnlyHint annotations on read-intent tools","articleBody":"## Problem\n\nThe Coding Agent runtime's MCP permission gate auto-approves tool calls only when the underlying tool is annotated with `ReadOnlyHint: true`. Anything else (including `undefined` / missing annotation, or `ReadOnlyHint: false`) prompts the user.\n\nIn production we're seeing read-intent github-mcp-server tools prompting users — for example, callers using the legacy alias `get_review` (now consolidated into `pull_request_read`).\n\nSource flow on the runtime side:\n- `runtime/src/mcp-client/known-mcp-servers.ts:585-596` — `extractMCPToolAnnotations` requires `readOnlyHint` to be a strict `boolean`; missing/non-boolean → `undefined`.\n- `runtime/src/tools/mcp-transport.ts:509` — `readOnly: toolConfig.readOnly ? true : false` collapses `undefined` → `false` → user prompted.\n- `runtime/src/apps/permission-gate.ts` — auto-approves only when `request.readOnly === true`.\n\nPer agreement with the runtime team, defaulting `undefined` to \"read-only\" is **not** the right fix (would over-grant). Instead, ensure the github-mcp-server side is the source of truth.\n\n## What's needed\n\n1. **Audit every tool currently registered by github-mcp-server** for missing or incorrect `Annotations.ReadOnlyHint`. Most existing read-only tools already have this set (verified `pull_request_read`, `issue_triage_context`, `semantic_issues_search`, `package_search`, `dependabot`, `find_closing_pull_requests`, `summarize_actions`). Find the gaps.\n2. **Deprecated tool aliases**: when `DeprecatedToolAliases` (`pkg/github/deprecated_tool_aliases.go`) routes a call from an old name (`get_review`, `list_issues`, etc.) to a new canonical tool (`pull_request_read`, `issue_read`, etc.), make sure the alias's tool descriptor inherits the canonical tool's annotations. Today the aliased tool may be exposed without annotations, defeating the runtime's auto-approve path.\n3. **Consider adding a CI check** that fails if any tool registered via `mcp.NewTool` lacks an explicit `ReadOnlyHint` (true or false). Forcing the choice at registration time prevents future regressions.\n\n## How to verify\n\nQuick way to spot missing annotations in this repo:\n\n```\ngrep -rln 'mcp.NewTool\\|toolset.NewTool' --include='*.go' | grep -v _test | xargs -L1 -I{} sh -c 'grep -L ReadOnlyHint \"{}\"'\n```\n\nRepeat for the deprecated-alias dispatch path.\n\n## Related\n\n- Coding Agent runtime: `runtime/src/mcp-client/{known-mcp-servers.ts,out-of-proc-mcp-host.ts,mcp-registry.ts}` — current consumer of these annotations.\n- Coding Agent permission gate behavior: github/sweagentd `runtime/src/apps/permission-gate.ts`.\n\ncc @ritchxu","author":{"url":"https://github.com/ritchxu","@type":"Person","name":"ritchxu"},"datePublished":"2026-05-15T21:07:35.000Z","interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":"https://schema.org/CommentAction","userInteractionCount":4},"url":"https://github.com/2483/github-mcp-server/issues/2483"}