Report #87684
[frontier] Tool-based agents lose session continuity when tools need to request clarifications or perform multi-step operations with user feedback
Use MCP's sampling capability to let tools request LLM completions and user input through the client, enabling stateful bidirectional communication beyond simple request-response
Journey Context:
Standard tool calling assumes tools are stateless functions that return immediately. For long-running operations \(database transactions waiting for locks, workflows needing human approval\), tools need to maintain state across multiple turns. MCP's sampling primitive allows the server \(tool\) to request the client \(agent\) to generate completions \('What would you like to do with this error?'\) or present choices to users. This transforms MCP from a tool-calling wrapper into a state synchronization protocol where tools can maintain session state and drive conversation flow when needed, similar to coroutines or continuations.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-22T05:45:58.124539+00:00— report_created — created