docs/python-sdk/fastmcp-client-client.mdx
fastmcp.client.clientClientSessionState <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L96" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>Holds all session-related state for a Client instance.
This allows clean separation of configuration (which is copied) from session state (which should be fresh for each new client instance).
CallToolResult <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L113" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>Parsed result from a tool call.
Client <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L123" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>MCP client that delegates connection management to a Transport instance.
The Client class is responsible for MCP protocol logic, while the Transport handles connection establishment and management. Client provides methods for working with resources, prompts, tools and other MCP capabilities.
This client supports reentrant context managers (multiple concurrent
async with client: blocks) using reference counting and background session
management. This allows efficient session reuse in any scenario with
nested or concurrent client usage.
MCP SDK 1.10 introduced automatic list_tools() calls during call_tool() execution. This created a race condition where events could be reset while other tasks were waiting on them, causing deadlocks. The issue was exposed in proxy scenarios but affects any reentrant usage.
The solution uses reference counting to track active context managers, a background task to manage the session lifecycle, events to coordinate between tasks, and ensures all session state changes happen within a lock. Events are only created when needed, never reset outside locks.
This design prevents race conditions where tasks wait on events that get replaced by other tasks, ensuring reliable coordination in concurrent scenarios.
Args:
transport:
Connection source specification, which can be:
roots: Optional RootsList or RootsHandler for filesystem access
sampling_handler: Optional handler for sampling requests
log_handler: Optional handler for log messages
message_handler: Optional handler for protocol messages
progress_handler: Optional handler for progress notifications
timeout: Optional timeout for requests (seconds or timedelta)
init_timeout: Optional timeout for initial connection (seconds or timedelta).
Set to 0 to disable. If None, uses the value in the FastMCP global settings.
Examples:
# Connect to FastMCP server
client = Client("http://localhost:8080")
async with client:
# List available resources
resources = await client.list_resources()
# Call a tool
result = await client.call_tool("my_tool", {"param": "value"})
Methods:
session <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L370" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>session(self) -> ClientSession
Get the current active session. Raises RuntimeError if not connected.
initialize_result <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L380" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>initialize_result(self) -> mcp.types.InitializeResult | None
Get the result of the initialization request.
set_roots <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L384" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>set_roots(self, roots: RootsList | RootsHandler) -> None
Set the roots for the client. This does not automatically call send_roots_list_changed.
set_sampling_callback <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L388" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>set_sampling_callback(self, sampling_callback: SamplingHandler, sampling_capabilities: mcp.types.SamplingCapability | None = None) -> None
Set the sampling callback for the client.
set_elicitation_callback <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L403" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>set_elicitation_callback(self, elicitation_callback: ElicitationHandler) -> None
Set the elicitation callback for the client.
is_connected <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L411" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>is_connected(self) -> bool
Check if the client is currently connected.
new <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L415" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>new(self) -> Client[ClientTransportT]
Create a new client instance with the same configuration but fresh session state.
This creates a new client with the same transport, handlers, and configuration, but with no active session. Useful for creating independent sessions that don't share state with the original client.
Returns:
initialize <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L476" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>initialize(self, timeout: datetime.timedelta | float | int | None = None) -> mcp.types.InitializeResult
Send an initialize request to the server.
This method performs the MCP initialization handshake with the server, exchanging capabilities and server information. It is idempotent - calling it multiple times returns the cached result from the first call.
The initialization happens automatically when entering the client context
manager unless auto_initialize=False was set during client construction.
Manual calls to this method are only needed when auto-initialization is disabled.
Args:
timeout: Optional timeout for the initialization request (seconds or timedelta).
If None, uses the client's init_timeout setting.Returns:
Raises:
RuntimeError: If the client is not connected or initialization times out.close <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L786" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>close(self)
ping <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L792" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>ping(self) -> bool
Send a ping request.
cancel <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L797" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>cancel(self, request_id: str | int, reason: str | None = None) -> None
Send a cancellation notification for an in-progress request.
progress <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L814" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>progress(self, progress_token: str | int, progress: float, total: float | None = None, message: str | None = None) -> None
Send a progress notification.
set_logging_level <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L826" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>set_logging_level(self, level: mcp.types.LoggingLevel) -> None
Send a logging/setLevel request.
send_roots_list_changed <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L830" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>send_roots_list_changed(self) -> None
Send a roots/list_changed notification.
complete_mcp <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L836" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>complete_mcp(self, ref: mcp.types.ResourceTemplateReference | mcp.types.PromptReference, argument: dict[str, str], context_arguments: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> mcp.types.CompleteResult
Send a completion request and return the complete MCP protocol result.
Args:
ref: The reference to complete.argument: Arguments to pass to the completion request.context_arguments: Optional context arguments to
include with the completion request. Defaults to None.Returns:
Raises:
RuntimeError: If called while the client is not connected.McpError: If the request results in a TimeoutError | JSONRPCErrorcomplete <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L867" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>complete(self, ref: mcp.types.ResourceTemplateReference | mcp.types.PromptReference, argument: dict[str, str], context_arguments: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> mcp.types.Completion
Send a completion request to the server.
Args:
ref: The reference to complete.argument: Arguments to pass to the completion request.context_arguments: Optional context arguments to
include with the completion request. Defaults to None.Returns:
Raises:
RuntimeError: If called while the client is not connected.McpError: If the request results in a TimeoutError | JSONRPCErrorgenerate_name <sup><a href="https://github.com/PrefectHQ/fastmcp/blob/main/src/fastmcp/client/client.py#L894" target="_blank"><Icon icon="github" style="width: 14px; height: 14px;" /></a></sup>generate_name(cls, name: str | None = None) -> str