diff --git a/docs/plugins/writing-a-plugin.md b/docs/plugins/writing-a-plugin.md
index 4128f08..7e93f1f 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/writing-a-plugin.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/writing-a-plugin.md
@@ -323,6 +323,42 @@ Role hierarchy: `admin > operator > viewer`. Requiring `viewer` grants access to
 
 ---
 
+## Agent Tools (MCP)
+
+Steward serves an MCP endpoint at `/mcp` that AI clients reach with a personal API token created on the AI access page. A plugin adds tools to it by exporting an optional `register_mcp_tools(register)` from `__init__.py`:
+
+```python
+# plugins/myplugin/__init__.py
+def register_mcp_tools(register) -> None:
+    from .mcp_tools import list_targets, rescan_target
+    from steward.models.users import UserRole
+    register(list_targets, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    register(rescan_target, role=UserRole.operator, read_only=False)
+```
+
+```python
+# plugins/myplugin/mcp_tools.py
+from steward.mcp._context import current_caller, mcp_app
+
+
+async def list_targets(limit: int = 50) -> dict:
+    """What this tool is for, when to use it over its siblings, what each
+    argument's empty value means, and what comes back. This docstring is the
+    tool's description: it is all the agent knows about it."""
+    app = mcp_app()                 # Quart's current_app does not exist here
+    async with app.db_sessionmaker() as db:
+        ...
+    return {"targets": [...], "total": n, "truncated": n > limit}
+```
+
+- `role` and `read_only` are required. A tool is listed and callable only for callers whose role reaches `role`, and only while the plugin is enabled.
+- Tools run outside Quart's request pipeline: use `mcp_app()` and `current_caller()` from `steward.mcp._context`, never `current_app` or `session`.
+- Refuse by raising `ValueError("what was wrong, and what to do instead")`. The agent reads that text. Any other exception reaches it only as a generic failure.
+- Tool names are global across core and every plugin; a name already taken fails registration and the plugin contributes no tools (logged).
+- Hot-reloading the plugin replaces its tools.
+
+---
+
 ## Publishing to the Catalog
 
 The official plugin catalog is hosted at `https://git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/Steward-plugins`. Anyone can submit a plugin by opening a pull request — first-party and third-party plugins are treated identically by the catalog system.
@@ -413,6 +449,7 @@ Hot-reload works reliably for brand-new plugin installs. Updates to already-acti
 - [ ] Revision IDs prefixed with plugin name
 - [ ] `record_metric()` called inside `session.begin()`
 - [ ] Routes use `@require_role` decorator
+- [ ] MCP tools (if any) registered via `register_mcp_tools(register)` with a role and `read_only`
 - [ ] Templates namespaced under `templates/myplugin/`
 - [ ] Plugin enabled in app settings
 - [ ] `index.yaml` entry added with `download_url` and `checksum_sha256`
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c10b66a..de5781d 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ dependencies = [
     "click>=8.0",
     "httpx>=0.27",
     "cryptography>=42",
+    # Floor, not a cap: MCPServer (mcp.server.mcpserver) and the mcp.types
+    # mirror that steward/mcp/ is written against first ship in SDK 2.2.
+    "mcp>=2.2",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
diff --git a/steward/app.py b/steward/app.py
index e66e696..9b302d4 100644
--- a/steward/app.py
+++ b/steward/app.py
@@ -282,6 +282,12 @@ def create_app(
     async def server_error(_):
         return await render_template("errors/500.html"), 500
 
+    # ── MCP endpoint (/mcp) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    # Mounted after plugins load so their register_mcp_tools() hooks are seen.
+    # It wraps app.asgi_app: /mcp never enters Quart's pipeline (see mcp/server.py).
+    from .mcp import mount_mcp
+    mount_mcp(app)
+
     # ── 11. Startup hook ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     @app.before_serving
     async def startup():
diff --git a/steward/core/plugin_manager.py b/steward/core/plugin_manager.py
index b78d8e9..3f68510 100644
--- a/steward/core/plugin_manager.py
+++ b/steward/core/plugin_manager.py
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ _FAILED_PLUGINS: dict[str, str] = {}
 #   {"plugin": <name>, "label": str, "href": str, "section": str}
 _PLUGIN_NAV: list[dict] = []
 
+# Loaded plugin modules, by name, for the MCP server: a plugin contributes
+# agent tools through an optional register_mcp_tools(register) export, which
+# steward/mcp/server.py calls when it mounts (and on hot-reload, below).
+_PLUGIN_MODULES: dict[str, object] = {}
+
 
 def get_plugin_failures() -> dict[str, str]:
     """Return a copy of the failed-plugin registry (name → error message)."""
@@ -70,6 +75,23 @@ def _collect_plugin_nav(name: str, module) -> None:
         })
 
 
+def get_loaded_plugin_modules() -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Loaded plugin modules by name (a copy), for hooks consumed after loading."""
+    return dict(_PLUGIN_MODULES)
+
+
+def _collect_plugin_module(app: "Quart", name: str, module) -> None:
+    """Remember a loaded plugin module; hand it to a live MCP server if mounted.
+
+    At boot the MCP server mounts after plugins load and reads them via
+    get_loaded_plugin_modules(); a plugin hot-loaded later is registered here.
+    """
+    _PLUGIN_MODULES[name] = module
+    mcp_server = getattr(app, "mcp_server", None)
+    if mcp_server is not None:
+        mcp_server.register_plugin(name, module)
+
+
 def resolve_plugin_path(plugin_dirs: list[Path], name: str) -> Path | None:
     """Return the first plugin root that contains `name`, else None.
 
@@ -264,6 +286,7 @@ def load_plugins(app: "Quart") -> None:
         _FAILED_PLUGINS.pop(name, None)  # clear any stale failure from a previous reload attempt
         _LOADED_PLUGINS.add(name)
         _collect_plugin_nav(name, module)
+        _collect_plugin_module(app, name, module)
         logger.info("Plugin %r loaded (v%s)", name, meta.get("version", "?"))
 
 
@@ -483,6 +506,7 @@ def hot_reload_plugin(app: "Quart", name: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
 
     _LOADED_PLUGINS.add(name)
     _collect_plugin_nav(name, module)
+    _collect_plugin_module(app, name, module)
     logger.info("Plugin %r hot-reloaded (v%s)", name, meta.get("version", "?"))
     return True, f"Plugin activated (v{meta.get('version', '?')})"
 
diff --git a/steward/mcp/__init__.py b/steward/mcp/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a290eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steward/mcp/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+"""The MCP endpoint (/mcp): Steward as a server an LLM client can inspect and drive."""
+from .server import mount_mcp
+
+__all__ = ["mount_mcp"]
diff --git a/steward/mcp/_context.py b/steward/mcp/_context.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60a78d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steward/mcp/_context.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"""Per-request MCP context: who is calling, and which app they are calling.
+
+The /mcp transport bypasses Quart's request pipeline, so neither `session`
+nor `current_app` exists inside a tool. The ASGI auth wrapper in server.py
+sets these from the resolved bearer token before dispatching; tools read them
+through `current_caller()` and `mcp_app()`.
+
+Neither falls back to a default: a tool reached without an authenticated
+caller is a bug in the transport, and it raises rather than acting for nobody.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+from contextvars import ContextVar
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from quart import Quart
+    from steward.core.api_tokens import Caller
+
+_caller_ctx: ContextVar["Caller | None"] = ContextVar("steward_mcp_caller", default=None)
+_app_ctx: ContextVar["Quart | None"] = ContextVar("steward_mcp_app", default=None)
+
+
+def current_caller() -> "Caller":
+    caller = _caller_ctx.get()
+    if caller is None:
+        raise RuntimeError("no MCP caller in context: the request was not bearer-authenticated")
+    return caller
+
+
+def current_caller_or_none() -> "Caller | None":
+    return _caller_ctx.get()
+
+
+def mcp_app() -> "Quart":
+    app = _app_ctx.get()
+    if app is None:
+        raise RuntimeError("no Steward app in MCP context")
+    return app
diff --git a/steward/mcp/server.py b/steward/mcp/server.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c8c2b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steward/mcp/server.py
@@ -0,0 +1,292 @@
+"""Steward's MCP server: the StewardMCPServer instance and its mount at /mcp.
+
+The /mcp path is dispatched to the MCP SDK's streamable-HTTP ASGI app BEFORE
+Quart sees it (wrapping `app.asgi_app`), so Quart's session, before_request
+hooks and error pages do not apply. This module supplies the equivalents:
+
+- bearer auth: a personal API token resolves to a Caller (user + effective
+  role), set in a ContextVar for the tools — 401 otherwise;
+- the database gate: the same ride-out-a-restart probe the web pipeline uses,
+  answering 503 rather than failing deep in a tool;
+- role gating, default-deny: every tool is registered with a minimum role and
+  a tool the caller's role doesn't reach is neither listed nor callable.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import difflib
+import functools
+import json
+import logging
+
+from mcp.server.mcpserver import MCPServer
+from mcp.server.mcpserver.exceptions import ToolError, UnexpectedToolError
+from mcp.server.transport_security import TransportSecuritySettings
+from mcp.types import ToolAnnotations
+from sqlalchemy.exc import SQLAlchemyError
+
+from steward.auth.middleware import role_meets
+from steward.models.users import UserRole
+
+from . import _context
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+MCP_PATH = "/mcp"
+
+# Claude Code injects only the first ~2,048 characters of a server's
+# instructions; keep this well under (test_instructions_fit). The workflow
+# across tools lives here; each tool's own contract lives in its docstring.
+INSTRUCTIONS = """\
+Steward is a self-hosted monitoring and infrastructure hub: hosts, uptime
+monitors, host-agent metrics, Docker containers and logs, alerts, and Ansible
+automation. You act as the user who created your token, at that token's role.
+
+Start broad, then narrow: get_overview says what is wrong right now; follow
+its ids into get_host / get_monitor / get_container, then metrics and logs.
+List tools are bounded: a response with `truncated: true` says which argument
+fetches more. Times are UTC ISO-8601; units are in field names (_pct, _ms,
+_bytes).
+
+Changes are audited under the user's name. run_playbook is a dry run (Ansible
+check mode) unless you pass check=false; dry-run first and show the user the
+diff before applying. If a tool refuses for lack of role, whoami says what
+this token can do.
+"""
+
+_DB_UNAVAILABLE = (
+    "Steward is running but can't reach its database right now, so nothing was "
+    "read or changed. This is usually a database restart; retry in a minute."
+)
+
+
+def _is_db_failure(exc: BaseException | None) -> bool:
+    seen: set[int] = set()
+    while exc is not None and id(exc) not in seen:
+        seen.add(id(exc))
+        if isinstance(exc, (SQLAlchemyError, OSError, TimeoutError)):
+            return True
+        exc = exc.__cause__ or exc.__context__
+    return False
+
+
+class StewardMCPServer(MCPServer):
+    """MCPServer with per-tool minimum roles, plugin-scoped tools and strict args."""
+
+    def __init__(self, app, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__("steward", instructions=INSTRUCTIONS.strip(), **kwargs)
+        self._steward_app = app
+        self.tool_roles: dict[str, UserRole] = {}
+        self.tool_plugins: dict[str, str] = {}
+
+    # ── registration ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    def register_tool(self, fn, *, role: UserRole, read_only: bool, plugin: str | None = None) -> None:
+        """The only way a tool reaches the server: name, minimum role, effect.
+
+        `role` and `read_only` are required — there is no default for a
+        mutating tool to inherit by omission.
+        """
+        name = fn.__name__
+        if name in self.tool_roles:
+            raise ValueError(f"MCP tool {name!r} is already registered")
+        if not isinstance(role, UserRole):
+            raise TypeError(f"MCP tool {name!r}: role must be a UserRole, got {role!r}")
+        self.add_tool(
+            fn, name=name,
+            annotations=ToolAnnotations(read_only_hint=read_only,
+                                        destructive_hint=None if read_only else True),
+        )
+        self.tool_roles[name] = role
+        if plugin:
+            self.tool_plugins[name] = plugin
+
+    def register_plugin(self, name: str, module) -> None:
+        """Add a plugin's tools via its optional `register_mcp_tools(register)`.
+
+        Idempotent per plugin (hot-reload drops its previous tools first) and
+        tolerant: a raising hook is logged and leaves the plugin with no tools,
+        never a broken server.
+        """
+        self._drop_plugin_tools(name)
+        hook = getattr(module, "register_mcp_tools", None)
+        if hook is None:
+            return
+        try:
+            hook(functools.partial(self.register_tool, plugin=name))
+        except Exception:
+            # All or nothing: a hook that fails halfway leaves no partial set.
+            self._drop_plugin_tools(name)
+            logger.exception("Plugin %r: register_mcp_tools() raised; its MCP tools are unavailable", name)
+
+    def _drop_plugin_tools(self, name: str) -> None:
+        for tool_name in [t for t, p in self.tool_plugins.items() if p == name]:
+            self.remove_tool(tool_name)
+            self.tool_roles.pop(tool_name, None)
+            self.tool_plugins.pop(tool_name, None)
+
+    # ── gating ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    def _plugin_enabled(self, plugin: str) -> bool:
+        cfg = (self._steward_app.config.get("PLUGINS") or {}).get(plugin)
+        return isinstance(cfg, dict) and bool(cfg.get("enabled"))
+
+    def refusal(self, name: str, caller) -> str | None:
+        """Why `caller` may not use tool `name`, or None if they may."""
+        required = self.tool_roles.get(name)
+        if required is None:
+            return f"There is no Steward tool named {name!r}."
+        plugin = self.tool_plugins.get(name)
+        if plugin and not self._plugin_enabled(plugin):
+            return (f"{name} belongs to the {plugin} plugin, which is disabled in this "
+                    "Steward. An admin can enable it under Settings → Plugins.")
+        if caller is None:
+            return "This request is not authenticated."
+        if not role_meets(caller.role, required):
+            return (f"{name} needs the {required.value} role; this connection acts as "
+                    f"{caller.role.value}. A token's role is capped at its user's role — "
+                    "create a token with a higher role on Steward's AI access page if "
+                    "your account allows it.")
+        return None
+
+    async def list_tools(self):
+        caller = _context.current_caller_or_none()
+        tools = await super().list_tools()
+        return [t for t in tools if self.refusal(t.name, caller) is None]
+
+    async def call_tool(self, name, arguments, context=None):
+        refusal = self.refusal(name, _context.current_caller_or_none())
+        if refusal:
+            raise ToolError(refusal)
+
+        # Reject undeclared arguments: pydantic would silently drop a misnamed
+        # one and run the tool with that field's default.
+        tool = self._tool_manager.get_tool(name)
+        declared = set((tool.parameters or {}).get("properties", {})) if tool else set()
+        unknown = sorted(set(arguments or {}) - declared)
+        if unknown:
+            hints = []
+            for arg in unknown:
+                close = difflib.get_close_matches(arg, sorted(declared), n=1)
+                hints.append(f"'{arg}'" + (f" (did you mean '{close[0]}'?)" if close else ""))
+            raise ToolError(
+                f"{name} does not accept {', '.join(hints)}. It accepts: "
+                f"{', '.join(sorted(declared)) or 'no arguments'}. Nothing was run."
+            )
+
+        try:
+            return await super().call_tool(name, arguments, context)
+        except UnexpectedToolError as exc:
+            cause = exc.__cause__
+            # ValueError is how a Steward tool refuses: what, why, what instead.
+            if isinstance(cause, ValueError):
+                raise ToolError(f"{name}: {cause}") from cause
+            if _is_db_failure(cause):
+                logger.warning("MCP tool %s hit a database failure: %r", name, cause)
+                raise ToolError(_DB_UNAVAILABLE) from cause
+            raise
+
+
+def build_mcp_server(app) -> StewardMCPServer:
+    from .tools import register_all
+    mcp = StewardMCPServer(app)
+    register_all(mcp.register_tool)
+    return mcp
+
+
+async def _send_json(send, status: int, payload: dict, extra_headers=()) -> None:
+    await send({
+        "type": "http.response.start",
+        "status": status,
+        "headers": [(b"content-type", b"application/json"), *extra_headers],
+    })
+    await send({"type": "http.response.body", "body": json.dumps(payload).encode()})
+
+
+def mount_mcp(app) -> StewardMCPServer:
+    """Mount the MCP endpoint at /mcp and return the server.
+
+    stateless_http: every request stands alone on its bearer token. The
+    stateful default strands Claude Code after a redeploy — it reconnects with
+    a session id the new process never issued and won't re-initialize on the
+    404 — so stateless is what makes a restart invisible to clients.
+
+    DNS-rebinding protection is off: its default allow-list is localhost only,
+    so any deployment behind a reverse proxy would get 421s. That protection
+    guards a browser rebinding DNS onto a localhost server; here the bearer
+    token is the security boundary.
+    """
+    # Looked up through their modules per request (not bound here) so a test
+    # can stand in for the token store or the database probe.
+    from steward import database
+    from steward.core import api_tokens
+
+    from steward.core.plugin_manager import get_loaded_plugin_modules
+
+    mcp = build_mcp_server(app)
+    for name, module in sorted(get_loaded_plugin_modules().items()):
+        mcp.register_plugin(name, module)
+    mcp_asgi = mcp.streamable_http_app(
+        streamable_http_path=MCP_PATH,
+        stateless_http=True,
+        transport_security=TransportSecuritySettings(enable_dns_rebinding_protection=False),
+    )
+    app.mcp_server = mcp
+
+    # The SDK's session manager owns a task group that must be running before
+    # it serves; host it in Quart's serving lifecycle.
+    @app.before_serving
+    async def _start_mcp() -> None:
+        cm = mcp.session_manager.run()
+        await cm.__aenter__()
+        app._mcp_session_cm = cm
+
+    @app.after_serving
+    async def _stop_mcp() -> None:
+        cm = getattr(app, "_mcp_session_cm", None)
+        if cm is not None:
+            await cm.__aexit__(None, None, None)
+
+    async def handle_mcp(scope, receive, send):
+        headers = {k.decode("latin-1").lower(): v.decode("latin-1")
+                   for k, v in scope.get("headers", [])}
+        auth = headers.get("authorization", "")
+        raw = auth[7:].strip() if auth[:7].lower() == "bearer " else ""
+
+        engine = getattr(app, "_db_engine", None)
+        try:
+            if engine is not None:
+                await database.ensure_database_reachable(engine)
+            caller = await api_tokens.resolve_token(app, raw)
+        except (database.DatabaseUnavailable, SQLAlchemyError, OSError) as exc:
+            logger.error("MCP request refused, database unreachable: %r", exc)
+            await _send_json(send, 503, {"error": "database_unavailable", "message": _DB_UNAVAILABLE})
+            return
+
+        if caller is None:
+            await _send_json(
+                send, 401,
+                {"error": "unauthorized",
+                 "message": "Send a Steward API token as 'Authorization: Bearer stw_…'. "
+                            "Create one on Steward's AI access page."},
+                extra_headers=[(b"www-authenticate", b'Bearer realm="steward-mcp"')],
+            )
+            return
+
+        caller_token = _context._caller_ctx.set(caller)
+        app_token = _context._app_ctx.set(app)
+        try:
+            await mcp_asgi(scope, receive, send)
+        finally:
+            _context._caller_ctx.reset(caller_token)
+            _context._app_ctx.reset(app_token)
+
+    original_asgi = app.asgi_app
+
+    async def dispatch(scope, receive, send):
+        if scope["type"] == "http":
+            path = scope.get("path", "")
+            if path == MCP_PATH or path.startswith(MCP_PATH + "/"):
+                # Path passes through untouched: the SDK app routes on /mcp itself.
+                return await handle_mcp(scope, receive, send)
+        return await original_asgi(scope, receive, send)
+
+    app.asgi_app = dispatch
+    return mcp
diff --git a/steward/mcp/tools/__init__.py b/steward/mcp/tools/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f8005b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steward/mcp/tools/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+"""Core MCP tool modules.
+
+Each module defines plain `async def` tools at module level (tests call them
+directly) and a `register(register_tool)` that lists them with their minimum
+role. `register_tool(fn, role=..., read_only=...)` takes both as required
+keywords: a tool with no declared role is unreachable, and there is no default
+read_only for a mutating tool to inherit by forgetting.
+
+A tool's docstring IS its contract with the agent — it ships as the tool's
+description. Say what it is for, when to reach for it over its siblings, what
+each argument's empty value means, and what comes back.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from . import session
+
+_MODULES = (session,)
+
+
+def register_all(register_tool) -> None:
+    for module in _MODULES:
+        module.register(register_tool)
diff --git a/steward/mcp/tools/session.py b/steward/mcp/tools/session.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec48e69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/steward/mcp/tools/session.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+"""Session tools: who the connected client is acting as."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from steward.mcp._context import current_caller
+from steward.models.users import UserRole
+
+_ROLE_MEANS = {
+    UserRole.viewer: "Read-only: every list_*/get_* tool. Nothing that changes Steward or your hosts.",
+    UserRole.operator: "Viewer tools, plus running playbooks and changing monitors, alerts and schedules.",
+    UserRole.admin: "Everything, including deleting monitors and alert rules.",
+}
+
+
+async def whoami() -> dict:
+    """Who this connection acts as in Steward, and what that role may do.
+
+    Call this first if a tool refuses you for lack of role: `role` is the
+    LOWER of the token's ceiling and its user's current role, so it can be
+    less than the token was created with. A higher role needs a new token
+    from Steward's AI access page, and only up to the user's own role.
+    """
+    caller = current_caller()
+    return {
+        "user": caller.username,
+        "user_id": caller.user_id,
+        "role": caller.role.value,
+        "role_allows": _ROLE_MEANS[caller.role],
+        "token_id": caller.token_id,
+    }
+
+
+def register(register_tool) -> None:
+    register_tool(whoami, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_mcp.py b/tests/integration/test_mcp.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8efd13a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/test_mcp.py
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+"""Integration: the /mcp endpoint end to end against real Postgres.
+
+A token is minted through the real service, then MCP requests go through the
+app's ASGI callable (the same path a client's HTTP request takes): the
+database gate, bearer resolution and role filtering all run for real.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import json
+import os
+import uuid
+
+import pytest
+
+from tests.mcp._http import HEADERS as _HEADERS, asgi_request, rpc, rpc_result
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+_NEEDS_DB = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not os.environ.get("STEWARD_DATABASE_URL"),
+    reason="integration test needs a live Postgres (STEWARD_DATABASE_URL)",
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def app():
+    if not os.environ.get("STEWARD_DATABASE_URL"):
+        pytest.skip("needs Postgres")
+    from steward.app import create_app
+    return create_app(testing=False)
+
+
+@_NEEDS_DB
+def test_mcp_over_http_with_a_minted_token(app):
+    from steward.core import api_tokens
+    from steward.models.users import User, UserRole
+
+    async def _go():
+        uid = str(uuid.uuid4())
+        async with app.db_sessionmaker() as s:
+            async with s.begin():
+                s.add(User(id=uid, username=f"mcp-{uid[:8]}", email=f"{uid}@test",
+                           password_hash="x", role=UserRole.admin, is_active=True))
+        async with app.db_sessionmaker() as s:
+            raw, token = await api_tokens.create_token(
+                s, user_id=uid, user_role=UserRole.admin, name="it", role=UserRole.viewer)
+            await s.commit()
+
+        auth = {**_HEADERS, "Authorization": f"Bearer {raw}"}
+        async with app.mcp_server.session_manager.run():
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc("initialize", {
+                "protocolVersion": "2025-06-18", "capabilities": {},
+                "clientInfo": {"name": "it", "version": "0"}}))
+            assert status == 200, body
+
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc("tools/list", id_=2))
+            assert status == 200, body
+            assert "whoami" in {t["name"] for t in rpc_result(body)["result"]["tools"]}
+
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc(
+                "tools/call", {"name": "whoami", "arguments": {}}, id_=3))
+            assert status == 200, body
+            me = json.loads(rpc_result(body)["result"]["content"][0]["text"])
+            # The token's viewer ceiling wins over the user's admin role.
+            assert (me["user_id"], me["role"], me["token_id"]) == (uid, "viewer", token.id)
+
+            async with app.db_sessionmaker() as s:
+                await api_tokens.revoke_token(s, user_id=uid, token_id=token.id)
+                await s.commit()
+            status, _, _ = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc("tools/list", id_=4))
+            assert status == 401
+
+    asyncio.run(_go())
diff --git a/tests/mcp/__init__.py b/tests/mcp/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/tests/mcp/_http.py b/tests/mcp/_http.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3ea52e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/mcp/_http.py
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+"""Drive /mcp through the app's ASGI callable, as a client's HTTP request would.
+
+Quart's test_client never reaches /mcp (it is dispatched before Quart's
+pipeline), so MCP tests call app.asgi_app directly.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+
+
+async def asgi_request(app, method, path, headers=None, body=None):
+    raw = [(k.lower().encode(), v.encode()) for k, v in (headers or {}).items()]
+    if body is not None:
+        raw.append((b"content-length", str(len(body)).encode()))
+    scope = {
+        "type": "http", "asgi": {"version": "3.0", "spec_version": "2.3"},
+        "http_version": "1.1", "method": method, "scheme": "http",
+        "path": path, "raw_path": path.encode(), "query_string": b"",
+        "root_path": "", "headers": raw,
+        "client": ("testclient", 50000), "server": ("testserver", 80),
+    }
+    pending = [{"type": "http.request", "body": body or b"", "more_body": False}]
+    sent = []
+
+    async def receive():
+        return pending.pop(0) if pending else {"type": "http.disconnect"}
+
+    async def send(message):
+        sent.append(message)
+
+    await app.asgi_app(scope, receive, send)
+    start = next(m for m in sent if m["type"] == "http.response.start")
+    data = b"".join(m.get("body", b"") for m in sent if m["type"] == "http.response.body")
+    return start["status"], dict(start.get("headers", [])), data
+
+
+def rpc_result(data: bytes) -> dict:
+    """The JSON-RPC message from a JSON or a single-event SSE response body."""
+    text = data.decode()
+    if text.lstrip().startswith("{"):
+        return json.loads(text)
+    lines = [ln[5:].strip() for ln in text.splitlines() if ln.startswith("data:")]
+    return json.loads(lines[-1])
+
+
+def rpc(method, params=None, id_=1) -> bytes:
+    return json.dumps({"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": id_, "method": method, "params": params or {}}).encode()
+
+
+HEADERS = {"Content-Type": "application/json", "Accept": "application/json, text/event-stream"}
diff --git a/tests/mcp/test_server.py b/tests/mcp/test_server.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ff203d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/mcp/test_server.py
@@ -0,0 +1,284 @@
+"""The /mcp transport and the role-gated tool registry.
+
+HTTP tests drive the app's ASGI callable directly: /mcp is dispatched before
+Quart's pipeline, so Quart's test_client never reaches it. The token store and
+the database probe are stood in for; tests/integration/test_mcp.py runs the
+same requests against real Postgres with a minted token.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+from mcp.server.mcpserver.exceptions import ToolError
+from sqlalchemy.exc import OperationalError
+
+from steward.core.api_tokens import Caller
+from steward.mcp import _context
+from steward.mcp.server import INSTRUCTIONS, StewardMCPServer
+from steward.models.users import UserRole
+from tests.mcp._http import HEADERS as _HEADERS, asgi_request, rpc, rpc_result
+
+VIEWER = Caller(user_id="u1", username="ana", role=UserRole.viewer, token_id=1)
+OPERATOR = Caller(user_id="u1", username="ana", role=UserRole.operator, token_id=2)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def as_caller():
+    tokens = []
+
+    def _set(caller):
+        tokens.append(_context._caller_ctx.set(caller))
+    yield _set
+    for t in reversed(tokens):
+        _context._caller_ctx.reset(t)
+
+
+def _server(plugins_cfg=None):
+    app = MagicMock()
+    app.config = {"PLUGINS": plugins_cfg or {}}
+    return StewardMCPServer(app)
+
+
+# ── the registry ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+async def test_every_registered_tool_declares_a_role(app):
+    # Default-deny: the role map is the only door, so a tool the SDK knows about
+    # without a role would be unreachable — and a sign someone bypassed
+    # register_tool. Every tool in the built server must be in the map.
+    mcp = app.mcp_server
+    names = {t.name for t in mcp._tool_manager.list_tools()}
+    assert names, "no MCP tools registered"
+    assert names == set(mcp.tool_roles), f"tools without a declared role: {names - set(mcp.tool_roles)}"
+
+
+def test_a_tool_added_around_register_tool_is_unreachable():
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def sneaky() -> dict:
+        return {}
+    mcp.add_tool(sneaky)
+    assert "no Steward tool" in mcp.refusal("sneaky", OPERATOR)
+
+
+def test_register_tool_requires_a_role_enum_and_unique_names():
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def t1() -> dict:
+        return {}
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        mcp.register_tool(t1, role="viewer", read_only=True)
+    mcp.register_tool(t1, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="already registered"):
+        mcp.register_tool(t1, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+
+
+def test_read_only_reaches_the_tool_annotations():
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def look() -> dict:
+        return {}
+
+    async def change() -> dict:
+        return {}
+    mcp.register_tool(look, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    mcp.register_tool(change, role=UserRole.operator, read_only=False)
+    assert mcp._tool_manager.get_tool("look").annotations.read_only_hint is True
+    assert mcp._tool_manager.get_tool("change").annotations.read_only_hint is False
+    assert mcp._tool_manager.get_tool("change").annotations.destructive_hint is True
+
+
+def test_instructions_fit_before_claude_codes_cut():
+    # Claude Code keeps only the first ~2,048 characters of server instructions.
+    assert len(INSTRUCTIONS) <= 1600
+
+
+# ── role and plugin gating ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _gated_server(plugins_cfg=None):
+    mcp = _server(plugins_cfg)
+
+    async def look() -> dict:
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    async def change() -> dict:
+        return {"changed": True}
+
+    async def plug() -> dict:
+        return {}
+    mcp.register_tool(look, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    mcp.register_tool(change, role=UserRole.operator, read_only=False)
+    mcp.register_tool(plug, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True, plugin="docker")
+    return mcp
+
+
+async def test_list_tools_hides_what_the_role_cannot_reach(as_caller):
+    mcp = _gated_server({"docker": {"enabled": True}})
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    assert {t.name for t in await mcp.list_tools()} == {"look", "plug"}
+    as_caller(OPERATOR)
+    assert {t.name for t in await mcp.list_tools()} == {"look", "change", "plug"}
+
+
+async def test_list_tools_is_empty_without_a_caller():
+    assert await _gated_server().list_tools() == []
+
+
+async def test_call_above_role_is_refused_with_a_reason(as_caller):
+    mcp = _gated_server()
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    with pytest.raises(ToolError, match="needs the operator role.*acts as viewer"):
+        await mcp.call_tool("change", {})
+
+
+async def test_disabled_plugin_tools_are_hidden_and_refused(as_caller):
+    mcp = _gated_server({"docker": {"enabled": False}})
+    as_caller(OPERATOR)
+    assert "plug" not in {t.name for t in await mcp.list_tools()}
+    with pytest.raises(ToolError, match="docker plugin, which is disabled"):
+        await mcp.call_tool("plug", {})
+
+
+async def test_undeclared_arguments_are_refused_not_dropped(as_caller):
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def find(host: str = "") -> dict:
+        return {"host": host}
+    mcp.register_tool(find, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    with pytest.raises(ToolError, match=r"'hostname' \(did you mean 'host'\?\)"):
+        await mcp.call_tool("find", {"hostname": "nas"})
+
+
+async def test_value_error_reaches_the_agent_as_its_reason(as_caller):
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def picky() -> dict:
+        raise ValueError("host 'nas' not found; list_hosts shows the names")
+    mcp.register_tool(picky, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    with pytest.raises(ToolError, match="host 'nas' not found"):
+        await mcp.call_tool("picky", {})
+
+
+async def test_database_failure_is_reported_as_an_outage(as_caller):
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def reads() -> dict:
+        raise OperationalError("SELECT 1", {}, ConnectionRefusedError())
+    mcp.register_tool(reads, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    with pytest.raises(ToolError, match="can't reach its database"):
+        await mcp.call_tool("reads", {})
+
+
+async def test_whoami_reports_the_effective_role(as_caller):
+    from steward.mcp.tools.session import whoami
+    as_caller(VIEWER)
+    out = await whoami()
+    assert out["user"] == "ana" and out["role"] == "viewer" and out["token_id"] == 1
+
+
+# ── plugin hook ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def test_plugin_tools_register_with_their_plugin_and_reload_cleanly():
+    mcp = _server({"docker": {"enabled": True}})
+
+    async def list_containers() -> dict:
+        return {}
+    module = MagicMock()
+    module.register_mcp_tools = lambda register: register(
+        list_containers, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+
+    mcp.register_plugin("docker", module)
+    assert mcp.tool_plugins == {"list_containers": "docker"}
+    mcp.register_plugin("docker", module)  # hot-reload: no duplicate error
+    assert mcp.tool_plugins == {"list_containers": "docker"}
+
+
+def test_a_raising_plugin_hook_leaves_the_server_intact():
+    mcp = _server()
+    module = MagicMock()
+    module.register_mcp_tools = MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("boom"))
+    mcp.register_plugin("broken", module)
+    assert mcp.tool_plugins == {}
+
+
+def test_a_plugin_hook_failing_halfway_registers_none_of_its_tools():
+    mcp = _server()
+
+    async def first() -> dict:
+        return {}
+
+    def hook(register):
+        register(first, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)
+        register(first, role=UserRole.viewer, read_only=True)  # duplicate → raises
+    module = MagicMock()
+    module.register_mcp_tools = hook
+    mcp.register_plugin("half", module)
+    assert mcp.tool_plugins == {}
+    assert "first" not in mcp.tool_roles
+    assert mcp._tool_manager.get_tool("first") is None
+
+
+def test_a_plugin_without_the_hook_contributes_nothing():
+    mcp = _server()
+    mcp.register_plugin("quiet", object())
+    assert mcp.tool_plugins == {}
+
+
+# ── HTTP ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def db_up():
+    with patch("steward.database.ensure_database_reachable", new=AsyncMock()):
+        yield
+
+
+async def test_http_without_a_token_is_401(app, db_up):
+    status, headers, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", _HEADERS, rpc("tools/list"))
+    assert status == 401
+    assert headers[b"www-authenticate"].startswith(b"Bearer")
+    assert b"AI access" in body
+
+
+async def test_http_with_an_unknown_token_is_401(app, db_up):
+    with patch("steward.core.api_tokens.resolve_token", new=AsyncMock(return_value=None)):
+        status, _, _ = await asgi_request(
+            app, "POST", "/mcp", {**_HEADERS, "Authorization": "Bearer stw_nope"}, rpc("tools/list"))
+    assert status == 401
+
+
+async def test_http_when_the_database_is_down_is_503(app):
+    from steward.database import DatabaseUnavailable
+    app._db_engine = MagicMock()
+    with patch("steward.database.ensure_database_reachable",
+               new=AsyncMock(side_effect=DatabaseUnavailable("connection refused"))):
+        status, _, body = await asgi_request(
+            app, "POST", "/mcp", {**_HEADERS, "Authorization": "Bearer stw_x"}, rpc("tools/list"))
+    assert status == 503
+    assert json.loads(body)["error"] == "database_unavailable"
+
+
+async def test_http_initialize_list_and_call_with_a_valid_token(app, db_up):
+    auth = {**_HEADERS, "Authorization": "Bearer stw_valid"}
+    with patch("steward.core.api_tokens.resolve_token", new=AsyncMock(return_value=VIEWER)):
+        async with app.mcp_server.session_manager.run():
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc("initialize", {
+                "protocolVersion": "2025-06-18", "capabilities": {},
+                "clientInfo": {"name": "test", "version": "0"}}))
+            assert status == 200, body
+            assert rpc_result(body)["result"]["serverInfo"]["name"] == "steward"
+
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc("tools/list", id_=2))
+            assert status == 200, body
+            names = {t["name"] for t in rpc_result(body)["result"]["tools"]}
+            assert "whoami" in names
+
+            status, _, body = await asgi_request(app, "POST", "/mcp", auth, rpc(
+                "tools/call", {"name": "whoami", "arguments": {}}, id_=3))
+            assert status == 200, body
+            result = rpc_result(body)["result"]
+            assert not result.get("isError")
+            assert json.loads(result["content"][0]["text"])["role"] == "viewer"