Protocol Change Checklist

OASLANA-76 defines the required pull request evidence for changes that affect the MCP protocol boundary between the VS Code extension, kicad-mcp-pro, the npm launcher, and shared compatibility metadata.

The pull request template contains the review checklist. This document explains when the checklist applies and what each checked item means.

When It Applies

Complete the protocol section in .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md when a pull request changes any of these surfaces:

• MCP tool names.
• MCP tool input or output schemas.
• Capability metadata.
• Streamable HTTP or session transport behavior.
• Server-info payload fields, versions, or compatibility ranges.
• Extension MCP adapter behavior.
• Compatibility metadata in compatibility.yaml, extension compatibility code, MCP server compatibility code, mcp.json, or server.json.

If none of those surfaces are touched, check Not applicable in the pull request template and include the reason.

Required Evidence

Protocol-impacting pull requests must account for each item below:

• Protocol schema updated.
• MCP server implementation updated.
• Extension MCP adapter updated.
• Contract tests updated.
• Compatibility matrix updated.
• Server-info/capabilities payload updated.
• Docs updated.
• Release notes considered for both products.
• Backward compatibility impact documented.

Use Not applicable only when the item is genuinely outside the changed surface. For example, a docs-only clarification may not require server code changes, but a tool schema change must update schemas, server behavior, adapter expectations, and contract coverage together.

CI And Review Visibility

The root check runs check:protocol-pr-template to keep the pull request template, this architecture document, and the related contributor guidance in sync. That check is intentionally lightweight: it verifies that protocol-impact PRs remain visible in review without trying to infer protocol semantics from a diff.

Run the narrow policy check directly with:

corepack pnpm run check:protocol-pr-template

Protocol-impacting changes still need the contract gate:

corepack pnpm run test:contract

When compatibility metadata or KiCad fixtures are touched, also run:

corepack pnpm run check:compatibility
corepack pnpm run test:fixtures

Related Policy

• Definition of done
• Product boundaries
• Release model
• Testing strategy