MCP Sampling
Industry Definition Set • Entity Resolution Path: /glossary/mcp-sampling
Quick Answer / TL;DR
An MCP feature that allows servers to request the client to generate text completions from an LLM, enabling servers to perform inference without embedding model credentials.
Key Takeaways
- Server requests client-side LLM inference.
- Client maintains full control over model, credentials, and safety.
- Protects sensitive context from leaving the client's trusted environment.
- Useful for agents that need to summarize or rephrase data without an explicit LLM backend.
Definitive Statement: An MCP feature that allows servers to request the client to generate text completions from an LLM, enabling servers to perform inference without embedding model credentials.
Technical Context & Protocol Usage
- Detailed Explanation
- Sampling lets an MCP server ask the client to sample an LLM. The client controls which model is used, the temperature, and any safety filters, while the server simply provides a prompt and receives the completion. This preserves client-side control over model selection and costs, and prevents servers from exfiltrating sensitive context to arbitrary models.
Format & Payload Metadata
Format: MCP sampling request/response messages
Latency: Depends on client-side model inference speed
Real-World Implementation Use Case
An MCP server that processes a large log file asks the client to generate a concise summary rather than returning the entire raw text.
Cite This Page
MLA Style:
MCPserver.in Engineering. "MCP Sampling." MCPserver.in Knowledge Hub, 20 July 2026, mcpserver.in/glossary/mcp-sampling.
Related Terms
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
An open, secure protocol that standardizes how artificial intelligence agents and large language models (LLMs) exchange context, tools, prompts, and data resources with external servers.
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A lightweight, stateless remote procedure call (RPC) protocol defined in JSON that utilizes request, response, and notification message frames.
Stdio Transport (Standard Input/Output)
A local-only transport mechanism where the AI client spawns the MCP server as a child process and communicates via standard input (stdin) and standard output (stdout) channels.
SSE Transport (Server-Sent Events)
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