Treat a JSON key that is not valid UTF-8 as a parse error

lib/json_rpc_handler.rb

@@ -55,14 +55,19 @@ def handle(request, id_validation_pattern: DEFAULT_ALLOWED_ID_CHARACTERS, &metho
 
   def handle_json(request_json, id_validation_pattern: DEFAULT_ALLOWED_ID_CHARACTERS, &method_finder)
     begin
-      request = JSON.parse(request_json, symbolize_names: true)
+      begin
+        request = JSON.parse(request_json, symbolize_names: true)
+      rescue JSON::ParserError, EncodingError
+        # `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError` for a key that is not valid UTF-8, a parse error as well.
+        # Rescued around the parse only, so an error raised while handling keeps its own classification.
+        return error_response(id: :unknown_id, id_validation_pattern: id_validation_pattern, error: {
+          code: ErrorCode::PARSE_ERROR,
+          message: "Parse error",
+          data: "Invalid JSON",
+        }).to_json
+      end
+
       response = handle(request, id_validation_pattern: id_validation_pattern, &method_finder)
-    rescue JSON::ParserError
-      response = error_response(id: :unknown_id, id_validation_pattern: id_validation_pattern, error: {
-        code: ErrorCode::PARSE_ERROR,
-        message: "Parse error",
-        data: "Invalid JSON",
-      })
     rescue StandardError
       # Last-resort guard so an unexpected handling error returns a JSON-RPC error
       # instead of escaping to the transport loop.

lib/mcp/server/transports/stdio_transport.rb

@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def send_request(method, params = nil)
           while @open && (line = read_line($stdin))
             begin
               parsed = JSON.parse(line.strip, symbolize_names: true)
-            rescue JSON::ParserError => e
+            rescue JSON::ParserError, EncodingError => e
               MCP.configuration.exception_reporter.call(e, { error: "Failed to parse response" })
               raise
             end
@@ -158,7 +158,8 @@ def read_line(io)
         def parse_line(line)
           parsed = JSON.parse(line, symbolize_names: true)
           parsed.is_a?(Hash) ? parsed : nil
-        rescue JSON::ParserError
+        rescue JSON::ParserError, EncodingError
+          # `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError` for a key that is not valid UTF-8; `handle_json` answers the parse error.
           nil
         end
 

lib/mcp/server/transports/streamable_http_transport.rb

@@ -1974,7 +1974,8 @@ def parse_request_body(body_string)
           # `max_nesting` bounds parse depth; a too-deep body raises `JSON::NestingError`,
           # a subclass of `JSON::ParserError`, so it is caught below as a parse error.
           JSON.parse(body_string, symbolize_names: true, max_nesting: MAX_JSON_NESTING)
-        rescue JSON::ParserError, TypeError
+        # `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError`, not `JSON::ParserError`, for a key that is not valid UTF-8.
+        rescue JSON::ParserError, TypeError, EncodingError
           raise InvalidJsonError
         end
 

test/json_rpc_handler_test.rb

@@ -448,6 +448,26 @@
       }
     end
 
+    it "returns an error with the code set to -32700 when a key is not valid UTF-8" do
+      # `JSON.parse` with `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError` rather than `JSON::ParserError` for such a key.
+      handle_json "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":1,\"method\":\"add\",\"k\xFF\":1}".b
+
+      assert_rpc_error expected_error: {
+        code: -32700,
+        message: "Parse error",
+        data: "Invalid JSON",
+      }
+    end
+
+    it "returns an error with the code set to -32603 when the input is not a string" do
+      handle_json nil
+
+      assert_rpc_error expected_error: {
+        code: -32603,
+        message: "Internal error",
+      }
+    end
+
     it "returns an error with code set to -32600 when the request is not an array or a hash" do
       handle true
 

test/mcp/server/transports/stdio_transport_test.rb

@@ -175,6 +175,30 @@ class StdioTransportTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
           end
         end
 
+        test "open answers a frame whose JSON key is not valid UTF-8 with -32700 and keeps reading" do
+          # `JSON.parse` with `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError` for such a key, which ended the loop.
+          # The frames are read as bytes here, so the key reaches the parser whatever `String#strip` does.
+          frames = "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":1,\"method\":\"ping\",\"k\xFF\":1}\n" \
+            "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":2,\"method\":\"ping\"}\n"
+          input = StringIO.new(frames.b)
+          output = StringIO.new
+          original_stdin = $stdin
+          original_stdout = $stdout
+
+          begin
+            $stdin = input
+            $stdout = output
+            @transport.open
+
+            responses = output.string.lines.map { |line| JSON.parse(line, symbolize_names: true) }
+            assert_equal(-32700, responses[0][:error][:code])
+            assert_equal({ jsonrpc: "2.0", id: 2, result: {} }, responses[1])
+          ensure
+            $stdin = original_stdin
+            $stdout = original_stdout
+          end
+        end
+
         test "rejects duplicate initialize on the same stdio session with -32600" do
           first = {
             jsonrpc: "2.0",
@@ -339,6 +363,37 @@ class StdioTransportTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
           end
         end
 
+        test "send_request reports a client reply whose JSON key is not valid UTF-8 as a parse failure" do
+          reader, writer = IO.pipe
+
+          # Read as bytes, so the key reaches the parser whatever `String#strip` does.
+          reader.binmode
+          output = StringIO.new
+          original_stdin = $stdin
+          original_stdout = $stdout
+          reported = []
+          original_reporter = MCP.configuration.exception_reporter
+
+          begin
+            MCP.configuration.exception_reporter = ->(e, context) { reported << [e.class, context] }
+            $stdin = reader
+            $stdout = output
+            @transport.instance_variable_set(:@open, true)
+
+            writer.write("{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":\"x\",\"result\":{\"k\xFF\":1}}\n".b)
+            writer.flush
+
+            assert_raises(EncodingError) { @transport.send_request("test/method") }
+            assert_equal([[EncodingError, { error: "Failed to parse response" }]], reported)
+          ensure
+            MCP.configuration.exception_reporter = original_reporter
+            $stdin = original_stdin
+            $stdout = original_stdout
+            writer.close
+            reader.close
+          end
+        end
+
         test "send_request does not double-report intentional raises via exception_reporter" do
           reader, writer = IO.pipe
           output = StringIO.new

test/mcp/server/transports/streamable_http_transport_test.rb

@@ -252,6 +252,24 @@ def string
           assert_equal "Parse error: Invalid JSON", body["error"]["message"]
         end
 
+        test "handles POST request whose JSON key is not valid UTF-8 as a parse error" do
+          # `JSON.parse` with `symbolize_names` raises `EncodingError` for such a key, which the rescue
+          # turned into a 500 with an exception report.
+          request = create_rack_request(
+            "POST",
+            "/",
+            { "CONTENT_TYPE" => "application/json" },
+            "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":\"init\",\"method\":\"initialize\",\"k\xFF\":1}".b,
+          )
+
+          response = @transport.handle_request(request)
+
+          assert_equal 400, response[0]
+          body = JSON.parse(response[2][0])
+          assert_equal JsonRpcHandler::ErrorCode::PARSE_ERROR, body["error"]["code"]
+          assert_equal "Parse error: Invalid JSON", body["error"]["message"]
+        end
+
         test "POST request with JSON array body returns 400" do
           init_request = create_rack_request(
             "POST",
@@ -6068,6 +6086,17 @@ def string
           assert_equal "ok", body.dig("result", "content", 0, "text")
         end
 
+        test "modern POST answers a JSON key that is not valid UTF-8 with 400 and -32700" do
+          # The era sniff parses a sessionless modern body before any rescue, so the `EncodingError` the parser
+          # raises for such a key escaped the transport.
+          body = "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":1,\"method\":\"ping\",\"k\xFF\":1}".b
+
+          response = @transport.handle_request(modern_rack_request(body))
+
+          assert_equal 400, response[0]
+          assert_equal JsonRpcHandler::ErrorCode::PARSE_ERROR, JSON.parse(response[2][0]).dig("error", "code")
+        end
+
         test "modern POST with an unsupported header version returns 400 with -32022 and the supported list" do
           response = @transport.handle_request(modern_rack_request(
             modern_body("ping", {}, version: "2027-01-01"),