Alexa+ MCP Client and App Lifecycle (Category MCP Add-ons)
To support your MCP App or your MCP server, Alexa+ acts as a client that interacts with your MCP App or MCP server. This allows customers to invoke it as needed, whether explicitly or implicitly, through proactive or conversational discovery.
Alexa+ MCP add-on registration
When you deploy your MCP add-on, Alexa+ registers your add-on, connects to your MCP server, and registers all the tools and resources. If you update any MCP tools and resources, redeploy your add-on with alexa-ai deploy to make the updates available to customers. All the MCP calls to your MCP server from the Alexa+ client follow the standard MCP protocol.
MCP initialize request payload
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "initialize",
"id": "4e3bdaee-0",
"params": {
"protocolVersion": "2025-03-26",
"capabilities": {
"roots": { "listChanged": true }
},
"clientInfo": {
"name": "Alexa+ MCP Client",
"version": "1.0.0"
}
}
}
MCP initialize response payload
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": "4e3bdaee-0",
"result": {
"protocolVersion": "2025-03-26",
"serverInfo": {
"name": "your-mcp-server-name",
"version": "1.0.0"
},
"capabilities": {
"tools": {},
"resources": {}
}
}
}
MCP tool call payload
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"method": "tools/call",
"id": "4a5bda6e-1",
"params": {
"name": "search_hotels",
"arguments": {
"checkIn": "2026-04-18",
"destination": "Seattle",
"guests": { "adults": 2 },
"checkOut": "2026-04-19"
}
}
}
MCP tool call response payload
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": "4a5bda6e-1",
"result": {
"structuredContent": {
"success": true,
"count": 0,
"hotels": []
},
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "{\"success\": true, \"count\": 0, \"hotels\": []}"
}
],
"_meta": {
"ui": {
"resourceUri": "ui://hotel-search",
"invoking": "Searching hotels...",
"invoked": "Found hotels"
}
}
}
}
Alexa+ lifecycle MCP session
After a customer makes a request to your MCP Add-on, Alexa+ manages the conversation and handles the lifecycle processes. It communicates with the server using streamable HTTP and maintains historical interaction context. Before initiating a tool call, the Alexa+ client reviews conversation history for previously used tools. It extracts key details, such as timestamps, user information, and contextual data. This generates a focused prompt that guides effective tool selection. If the customer is account-linked, your MCP server can provide more personalized and contextual results for the customer.
Note that the session is based on the customer's previous conversations with Alexa+ rather than an explicit identifier for a session with your MCP App. When this prompt is ready, the Alexa+ client sends appropriate tool calls to your MCP App or server for execution.
Resource handling and elicitation
To ensure seamless integration and clarity, all relevant files must be explicitly referenced. Use their designated paths when passed to tools, agents, or accessed during processing.
When Alexa+ receives an elicitation request, it first attempts to gather all necessary contextual information. This fulfills customer requests efficiently in the most seamless manner possible. If customers don't provide enough details, the system uses the existing elicitation framework through the MCP protocol to request and clarify any required information.
Last updated: Jul 14, 2026
