TL;DR: matching client completes MRTR. 0.4.3 proved the server can pause; this cut is the client that resumes. Same three tools — health → echo → confirm_echo. Cargo is the install. npx is try.

In Plain English

Old state. The server could stop mid-call and ask “do you mean it?” The textbook listed a client. That client never finished the confirm. Half a handshake.

Fix. A tiny matching client. It sees the pause, sends CONFIRM with the sealed state, and completes — or it refuses a wrong confirm and a tampered state.

New state. The peer is two-sided. Run mrtr-client against live 0.5.0 and the retry is on the wire.

cargo install mcp-better --version 0.5.0 mcp-better --help

We are Cargo. That is the install. First hit compiles Rust deps once (often 100+ units — not 100 tools of ours). One lived first-hit on this cut: 6 minutes 02 seconds. Then the binary is instant. To skip the compile, try with npx mcp-better — that is not the install. We do not offer npm install.

What happened since Dual Package

One blog, one arc — no post per patch. Last write-up was v0.4.2 Dual Package. Short tour to today:

  • 0.4.3 — server half: confirm_echo (MRTR) + optional Agent Skills. Not a blog.
  • 0.4.4 — honesty: the book names the catalog that already shipped. No new tool. Not tagged.
  • 0.5.0 — matching client completes MRTR. This is the log entry for the stretch.

Still 7/28. Still identity io.github.Wolfe-Jam/mcp-better. Still no fourth tool.

What 0.5.0 is

Lesson: the peer is two-sided. 0.4.3 proved the server can pause; this cut is the client that resumes.

mrtr-client negotiates Discover 2026-07-28, calls confirm_echo, takes R1 input_required, echoes the sealed requestState with CONFIRM, and completes. Wrong confirm text fails. Tampered state fails. The retry stays visible (call_tool_once, not a silent auto-retry).

git clone https://github.com/Wolfe-Jam/mcp-better.git cd mcp-better MCP_BETTER_BIN="$(pwd)/target/debug/mcp-better" cargo run --example mrtr-client

The example lives in the tree. Install from crates.io is the binary; the matching client is the lesson you run from source.

Try it

Install (Cargo):

cargo install mcp-better --version 0.5.0 mcp-better --help

Try (no Rust toolchain — not the install):

npx mcp-better --help

More depth: Dual Package (v0.4.2) · origin (v0.2) · MRTR confirm_echo · repo.

Technical details

  • Version: 0.5.0 (August 18, 2026)
  • Protocol: 2026-07-28 (7/28)
  • Identity: io.github.Wolfe-Jam/mcp-better
  • Packages: crates.io + npm shim (same version). Cargo is the install.
  • Tools: health → echo → confirm_echo (no fourth tool)
  • Lesson: example mrtr-client completes the confirm
  • Transports: stdio default · --http local demo only
  • Ladder: NONE | GOOD | [BETTER] | BEST — textbook for AGENTS.md

Built with .faf ☑️ The peer is two-sided. 🏎️