---
title: "11. Prompts"
description: "MCP Description specification v0.7.0 — 11. Prompts."
source: "https://mcpdesc.org/docs/specification/0.7.0/prompts/"
---

Mirrored specification

This page mirrors **11\. Prompts** of the MCP Description specification **v0.7.0**. The canonical source of truth is [cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract](https://github.com/cisco-open/mcptoolkit-contract/blob/main/spec/sections/11-prompts.md). Where this page differs from upstream, upstream wins.

## 11\. Prompts

The `prompts` array declares the prompt templates exposed by the MCP server. Each prompt is a server-side template that clients can invoke with arguments to generate messages.

### 11.1 Prompt Object

| Property    | Type                                                   | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| name        | string                                                 | **Yes**  | Programmatic prompt name (identifier).                                                                                                                                          |
| title       | string                                                 | No       | Human-readable display name for UI contexts. Since MCP 2025-06-18.                                                                                                              |
| description | string                                                 | No       | Human-readable prompt description.                                                                                                                                              |
| arguments   | array<[Prompt Argument](#112-prompt-argument-object)\> | No       | Prompt arguments.                                                                                                                                                               |
| icons       | array<Icon>                                            | No       | Icons for UI display. Since MCP 2025-11-25.                                                                                                                                     |
| tags        | array<string>                                          | No       | Categorization tags. When a root-level tags array is present, values MUST reference declared tag names (see [Section 12.3](/docs/specification/0.7.0/tags#123-tag-references)). |
| deprecated  | boolean                                                | No       | Whether the prompt is deprecated.                                                                                                                                               |
| \_meta      | object                                                 | No       | Protocol-reserved metadata. Since MCP 2025-06-18.                                                                                                                               |

### 11.2 Prompt Argument Object

| Property    | Type    | Required | Description                                                        |
| ----------- | ------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| name        | string  | **Yes**  | Programmatic argument name (identifier).                           |
| title       | string  | No       | Human-readable display name for UI contexts. Since MCP 2025-06-18. |
| description | string  | No       | Argument description.                                              |
| required    | boolean | No       | Whether the argument is required.                                  |

### 11.3 Example

```json
{
  "prompts": [
    {
      "name": "analyze_position",
      "title": "Analyze Position",
      "description": "Generate a detailed positional analysis for a chess position",
      "arguments": [
        {
          "name": "fen",
          "title": "FEN String",
          "description": "Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation",
          "required": true
        },
        {
          "name": "perspective",
          "title": "Analysis Perspective",
          "description": "Analyze from white or black perspective",
          "required": false
        }
      ],
      "tags": ["analysis", "position"]
    },
    {
      "name": "game_summary",
      "title": "Game Summary",
      "description": "Generate a narrative summary of a completed chess game",
      "arguments": [
        {
          "name": "game_id",
          "title": "Game ID",
          "description": "Identifier of the game to summarize",
          "required": true
        },
        {
          "name": "detail_level",
          "title": "Detail Level",
          "description": "Level of detail: 'brief', 'standard', or 'comprehensive'",
          "required": false
        }
      ],
      "tags": ["game", "summary"]
    },
    {
      "name": "opening_guide",
      "title": "Opening Repertoire Guide",
      "description": "Generate a study guide for a specific chess opening",
      "arguments": [
        {
          "name": "opening_name",
          "title": "Opening Name",
          "description": "Name of the chess opening (e.g., 'Sicilian Defense', 'Queen's Gambit')",
          "required": true
        },
        {
          "name": "player_rating",
          "title": "Player Rating",
          "description": "Player's approximate rating to tailor complexity",
          "required": false
        }
      ],
      "tags": ["opening", "study"]
    }
  ]
}
```