Validate MCP token audience

An MCP resource must reject access tokens not issued for that canonical server.

01 / The operating case

What changes in a real workflow?

A client brings an analytics-server token to a payroll MCP server.

Trace the authority boundary
  1. 01Authority origin
  2. 02Task and grant
  3. 03Current decision
  4. 04Observed outcome

02 / Decision contract

What the executor must check

Verify token issuer, signature or introspection, expiration, canonical resource audience and required scope before any tool call.

InputPrincipal · task · action · target
DecisionGrant ancestry · policy · current state
ResultEnforce · record · verify outcome

03 / Failure and evidence

What goes wrong, and what can be proven?

Failure mode

Issuer-valid tokens for another server are accepted.

Evidence to retain

Record issuer and audience validation result, request ID and denial, without token contents.

04 / Canonical scope

Why this reference stands alone

Resource indicators describes client token acquisition; this guide owns the receiving-server negative test.

Illustrative implementation artifact

Audience negative tests

token for server A -> server A: accept only after all checks
token for server A -> server B: reject audience mismatch
expired token for server A -> server A: reject expiry
valid token + insufficient tool scope -> reject tool call

Primary references

Read the underlying material

Architecture discussion

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