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### Join the Community ### Communication Channels
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77
88## Before You Begin
99
10### Join the Community
11
12You don't need to have a change ready to get involved. Join the
13[MCP Contributor Discord](https://discord.gg/6CSzBmMkjX) to connect with contributors and
14maintainers, ask questions, and find out where help is needed. See the
15[Contributor Communication](/community/communication) guide for all channels - including
16[live calls](https://meet.modelcontextprotocol.io/) and GitHub Discussions - and when to use
17each one, or jump to [Getting Help](#getting-help) below.
18
1019### Prerequisites
1120
1221Before contributing, ensure you have the following installed and ready:
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342351 <Step title="Find a sponsor">
343352 A maintainer from the [maintainer
344353 list](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/MAINTAINERS.md)
345 who will champion your proposal.
354 who will champion your proposal. See [Finding a Sponsor for
355 SEPs](#finding-a-sponsor-for-seps) below.
346356 </Step>
347357
348358 <Step title="Write the SEP">
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350360 </Step>
351361</Steps>
352362
363### Finding a Sponsor for SEPs
364
365A **sponsor** is a Core Maintainer or Maintainer who champions your SEP through the review
366process. They provide feedback, help refine your proposal, and present it at Core Maintainer
367meetings.
368
369<Warning>
370 Every SEP needs a sponsor to move forward. SEPs that don't find a sponsor
371 within 6 months are marked as **dormant**. Dormant SEPs aren't rejected
372 outright - they can be revived later if a sponsor is found or the proposal is
373 re-assessed to be needed.
374</Warning>
375
376To find a sponsor:
377
378<Steps>
379 <Step title="Find relevant maintainers">
380 Look at the [maintainer
381 list](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/MAINTAINERS.md)
382 to find maintainers working in your area.
383 </Step>
384
385 <Step title="Tag maintainers in your PR">
386 Tag 1-2 relevant maintainers (don't spam everyone).
387 </Step>
388
389 <Step title="Share in Discord">
390 Post your PR in the relevant Discord channel to increase visibility.
391 </Step>
392
393 <Step title="Follow up if needed">
394 If no response after 2 weeks, ask in `#general` or reach out to a Core
395 Maintainer.
396 </Step>
397</Steps>
398
399Maintainers review open proposals regularly, but response time varies based on complexity and
400availability.
401
353402## Working with the SDK Repositories
354403
355404MCP maintains official SDKs in multiple languages. Contributions are welcome - whether you're
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418467
419468## Getting Help
420469
421### Communication Channels
422
423470Got questions or need guidance? The MCP community is here to help.
424471
425472* **[Discord](/community/communication#discord)** - Real-time discussion with contributors and
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440487`#auth-wg` or `#server-identity-wg`. For SDK help, find your language's channel (e.g.,
441488`#typescript-sdk-dev`).
442489
443### Finding a Sponsor for SEPs
444
445A **sponsor** is a Core Maintainer or Maintainer who champions your SEP through the review
446process. They provide feedback, help refine your proposal, and present it at Core Maintainer
447meetings.
448
449<Warning>
450 Every SEP needs a sponsor to move forward. SEPs that don't find a sponsor
451 within 6 months are marked as **dormant**. Dormant SEPs aren't rejected
452 outright - they can be revived later if a sponsor is found or the proposal is
453 re-assessed to be needed.
454</Warning>
455
456To find a sponsor:
457
458<Steps>
459 <Step title="Find relevant maintainers">
460 Look at the [maintainer
461 list](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/blob/main/MAINTAINERS.md)
462 to find maintainers working in your area.
463 </Step>
464
465 <Step title="Tag maintainers in your PR">
466 Tag 1-2 relevant maintainers (don't spam everyone).
467 </Step>
468
469 <Step title="Share in Discord">
470 Post your PR in the relevant Discord channel to increase visibility.
471 </Step>
472
473 <Step title="Follow up if needed">
474 If no response after 2 weeks, ask in `#general` or reach out to a Core
475 Maintainer.
476 </Step>
477</Steps>
478
479Maintainers review open proposals regularly, but response time varies based on complexity and
480availability.
481
482490## Troubleshooting
483491
484492Sometimes things don't go as planned - that's completely normal! Here are solutions to common
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5075151. Make sure your idea has been discussed in Discord or an Interest Group first
5085162. Proposals with demonstrated community interest are more likely to find sponsors
5095173. Consider whether your change might be too large - could it be split into smaller SEPs?
518
519See [Finding a Sponsor for SEPs](#finding-a-sponsor-for-seps) for the full process.
510520
511521### My SEP was rejected
512522