diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index f8093ca942..f4559e379d 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
       <dependency>
         <groupId>io.quarkiverse.mcp</groupId>
         <artifactId>quarkus-mcp-server-bom</artifactId>
-        <version>1.13.0</version>
+        <version>2.0.3</version>
         <type>pom</type>
         <scope>import</scope>
       </dependency>
@@ -485,6 +485,7 @@
             </goals>
             <configuration>
               <systemPropertyVariables>
+                <quarkus.application.version>${project.version}</quarkus.application.version>
                 <!-- Pass JaCoCo agent args to Quarkus application JVM for @QuarkusIntegrationTest coverage -->
                 <quarkus.test.arg-line>${argLine}</quarkus.test.arg-line>
                 <java.util.logging.manager>org.jboss.logmanager.LogManager</java.util.logging.manager>
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpHttpTestSupport.java b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpHttpTestSupport.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..737b565a0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpHttpTestSupport.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.api.v1.mcp;
+
+import static io.restassured.RestAssured.given;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import io.restassured.http.ContentType;
+import io.restassured.response.Response;
+import io.restassured.specification.RequestSpecification;
+import io.vertx.core.json.JsonObject;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/** Shared wire format for raw HTTP tests that do not initialize an MCP client session. */
+final class McpHttpTestSupport {
+  private static final String CURRENT_PROTOCOL_VERSION = "2026-07-28";
+
+  private McpHttpTestSupport() {}
+
+  static RequestSpecification request(String method) {
+    return given()
+        .contentType(ContentType.JSON)
+        .accept("application/json, text/event-stream")
+        .header("MCP-Protocol-Version", CURRENT_PROTOCOL_VERSION)
+        .header("Mcp-Method", method);
+  }
+
+  static Map<String, Object> toolPayload(int id, String tool, Map<String, Object> arguments) {
+    return rpcPayload(id, "tools/call", Map.of("name", tool, "arguments", arguments));
+  }
+
+  static Map<String, Object> rpcPayload(int id, String method, Map<String, Object> params) {
+    var requestParams = new HashMap<>(params);
+    requestParams.put(
+        "_meta",
+        Map.of(
+            "io.modelcontextprotocol/protocolVersion",
+            CURRENT_PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+            "io.modelcontextprotocol/clientCapabilities",
+            Map.of()));
+    return Map.of("jsonrpc", "2.0", "id", id, "method", method, "params", requestParams);
+  }
+
+  static JsonObject assertResponseComplete(Response response, int id) {
+    assertThat(response.statusCode()).as(response.asString()).isEqualTo(200);
+    var body = new JsonObject(response.asString());
+    assertThat(body.getInteger("id")).isEqualTo(id);
+    assertThat(body.containsKey("error")).isFalse();
+    var result = body.getJsonObject("result");
+    assertThat(result.getString("resultType")).isEqualTo("complete");
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  static JsonObject assertResultReadable(JsonObject result) {
+    var content = result.getJsonArray("content");
+    assertThat(content).hasSize(1);
+    assertThat(content.getJsonObject(0).getString("type")).isEqualTo("text");
+    return new JsonObject(content.getJsonObject(0).getString("text"));
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpIntegrationTestBase.java b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpIntegrationTestBase.java
index 392bf69c8f..03a16ae209 100644
--- a/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpIntegrationTestBase.java
+++ b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpIntegrationTestBase.java
@@ -176,16 +176,25 @@ protected Consumer<ToolResponse> assertStatusOnlyWithJson(Consumer<JsonObject> s
     };
   }
 
+  private static void assertServerInfoOnly(ToolResponse response) {
+    assertThat(response._meta()).containsOnlyKeys(MetaKey.SERVER_INFO);
+    var serverInfo = (JsonObject) response._meta().get(MetaKey.SERVER_INFO);
+    assertThat(serverInfo.getString("name")).isEqualTo("Stargate DATA API");
+    assertThat(serverInfo.getString("version"))
+        .isEqualTo(
+            ConfigProvider.getConfig().getValue("quarkus.application.version", String.class));
+  }
+
   /**
-   * Assert error response structure is valid (no meta_ and content), then apply additional
-   * assertions on the error JsonArray extracted from structuredContent.
+   * Assert that an error response has server metadata and an empty content field. Then apply
+   * additional assertions to the error JsonArray extracted from structuredContent.
    *
    * @param errorsAssertions additional assertions to run on the error JsonArray
    */
   protected Consumer<ToolResponse> assertErrorOnly(Consumer<JsonArray> errorsAssertions) {
     return response -> {
       assertThat(response.content()).isEmpty();
-      assertThat(response._meta()).isEmpty();
+      assertServerInfoOnly(response);
       assertTrue(response.isError());
       assertThat(response.structuredContent()).isNotNull();
 
@@ -198,8 +207,8 @@ protected Consumer<ToolResponse> assertErrorOnly(Consumer<JsonArray> errorsAsser
   }
 
   /**
-   * Assert data only response is valid (no meta_, content and error), then apply additional
-   * assertions on the structuredContent holds the data.
+   * Assert that a data response has server metadata, an empty content field, and no error. Then
+   * apply additional assertions to the data held in structuredContent.
    *
    * @param dataAssertions additional assertions to run on the data JsonObject
    */
@@ -207,7 +216,7 @@ protected Consumer<ToolResponse> assertDataOnly(Consumer<JsonObject> dataAsserti
     return response -> {
       assertFalse(response.isError());
       assertThat(response.content()).isEmpty();
-      assertThat(response._meta()).isEmpty();
+      assertServerInfoOnly(response);
       assertNotNull(response.structuredContent());
 
       var data = (JsonObject) response.structuredContent();
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpProtocolTest.java b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpProtocolTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..75a989ad23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/io/stargate/sgv2/jsonapi/api/v1/mcp/McpProtocolTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.api.v1.mcp;
+
+import static io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.api.v1.mcp.McpHttpTestSupport.assertResponseComplete;
+import static io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.api.v1.mcp.McpHttpTestSupport.request;
+import static io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.api.v1.mcp.McpHttpTestSupport.rpcPayload;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import io.quarkus.test.junit.QuarkusTest;
+import io.quarkus.test.junit.TestProfile;
+import io.stargate.sgv2.jsonapi.testresource.NoGlobalResourcesTestProfile;
+import java.util.Map;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+/** Exercises the HTTP wire contract without a client that might initialize a session for us. */
+@QuarkusTest
+@TestProfile(NoGlobalResourcesTestProfile.Impl.class)
+class McpProtocolTest {
+  @Test
+  void listsToolsWithoutInitializationOrSession() {
+    // Each POST is independent. clientInfo, discovery and initialization are deliberately absent.
+    for (int id = 1; id <= 2; id++) {
+      var response =
+          request("tools/list")
+              // Header auth checks only that a token is present. Database requests validate it,
+              // but tools/list returns metadata without accessing the database.
+              .header("Token", "protocol-test-credential")
+              .body(rpcPayload(id, "tools/list", Map.of()))
+              .post("/v1/mcp");
+      assertResponseComplete(response, id);
+      assertThat(response.header("Mcp-Session-Id")).isNull();
+      assertThat(response.jsonPath().getList("result.tools.name")).isNotEmpty();
+    }
+  }
+}