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[BUG] Claude code does not obey values of MCP_TIMEOUT longer than 60 seconds #7575

Closed as not planned
Closed as not planned
[BUG] Claude code does not obey values of MCP_TIMEOUT longer than 60 seconds#7575
Labels
area:mcpbugSomething isn't workinghas reproHas detailed reproduction stepsplatform:linuxIssue specifically occurs on Linux

Description

@marcindulak
marcindulak
opened on Sep 14, 2025

Preflight Checklist

  • I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Claude code does not obey values of MCP_TIMEOUT longer than 60 seconds

What Should Happen?

Claude code should obey longer values of MCP_TIMEOUT. This is needed for MCP servers that have a long startup times, e.g. download some resources.

Error Messages/Logs

[DEBUG] MCP server "sleep": Starting connection with timeout of 100000ms
[DEBUG] MCP server "sleep": Connection failed after 60031ms: MCP error -32001: Request timed out

Steps to Reproduce

rm -rf /tmp/claude-60seconds-timeout
mkdir /tmp/claude-60seconds-timeout
cd /tmp/claude-60seconds-timeout

export MCP_TIMEOUT=100000 # 100 seconds
claude mcp remove sleep || true
claude mcp add sleep -- bash -c "sleep infinity"

claude mcp list --debug

Output:

Removed MCP server "sleep" from local config
File modified: /home/user/.claude.json [project: /tmp/claude-60seconds-timeout]
Added stdio MCP server sleep with command: bash -c sleep infinity to local config
File modified: /home/user/.claude.json [project: /tmp/claude-60seconds-timeout]
[DEBUG] Writing to temp file: /home/user/.claude.json.tmp.518189.1757834898685
[DEBUG] Preserving file permissions: 100664
[DEBUG] Temp file written successfully, size: 75128 bytes
[DEBUG] Applied original permissions to temp file
[DEBUG] Renaming /home/user/.claude.json.tmp.518189.1757834898685 to /home/user/.claude.json
[DEBUG] File /home/user/.claude.json written atomically
Checking MCP server health...

[DEBUG] MCP server "sleep": Starting connection with timeout of 100000ms
[DEBUG] MCP server "sleep": Connection failed after 60028ms: MCP error -32001: Request timed out
[ERROR] MCP server "sleep" Connection failed: MCP error -32001: Request timed out
sleep: bash -c sleep infinity - ✗ Failed to connect

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

1.0.113 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

Xterm

Additional Information

The problem with the ingored timeout value may be related to the hard-code timeout mentioned in #424 (comment)

Activity

  1. marcindulak
    added
    bugSomething isn't working
    on Sep 14, 2025
  2. github-actions
    added
    has reproHas detailed reproduction steps
    platform:linuxIssue specifically occurs on Linux
    area:mcp
    on Sep 14, 2025

  3. github-actions commented on Sep 14, 2025

    @github-actions
    github-actionsbot
    on Sep 14, 2025 – with GitHub Actions

    Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

    1. MCP Server Timeout Configuration Ignored in SSE Connections #3033
    2. [BUG] timeout makes you loose session #4810

    This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

    • If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
    • To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

    🤖 Generated with Claude Code

  4. marcindulak commented on Sep 14, 2025

    @marcindulak
    marcindulak
    on Sep 14, 2025
    Author

    The other issues don't have "Steps to Reproduce"

  5. AmeowCAT commented on Sep 22, 2025

    @AmeowCAT
    AmeowCAT
    on Sep 22, 2025

    Same issue when I add serena mcp server

  6. github-actions commented on Dec 7, 2025

    @github-actions
    github-actionsbot
    on Dec 7, 2025 – with GitHub Actions

    This issue has been inactive for 30 days. If the issue is still occurring, please comment to let us know. Otherwise, this issue will be automatically closed in 30 days for housekeeping purposes.

  7. github-actions
    added
    autocloseIssue will be closed automatically
    on Dec 7, 2025

  8. marcindulak commented on Dec 7, 2025

    @marcindulak
    marcindulak
    on Dec 7, 2025
    Author

    Claude Code v2.0.60 still seems not obeying the MCP_TIMEOUT environment variable setting, when longer than 60 seconds.

  9. github-actions
    removed
    autocloseIssue will be closed automatically
    on Dec 7, 2025

  10. github-actions commented on Jan 8, 2026

    @github-actions
    github-actionsbot
    on Jan 8, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

    This issue has been automatically closed due to 60 days of inactivity. If you're still experiencing this issue, please open a new issue with updated information.

  11. github-actions
    closed this as not plannedon Jan 8, 2026

  12. marcindulak commented on Jan 8, 2026

    @marcindulak
    marcindulak
    on Jan 8, 2026
    Author

    This issue was incorrectly closed despite human comments being present. This autoclose bot problem is reported in #16497

  13. github-actions commented on Jan 15, 2026

    @github-actions
    github-actionsbot
    on Jan 15, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

    This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.

  14. github-actions
    locked as resolved and limited conversation to collaborators on Jan 15, 2026
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