You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
2Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
MCPArea: what it touches
Bug FixesKind: in v2.1.299,
Bug FixesSection of the release
What
A project's .mcp.json file lists MCP servers, which are outside programs that give Claude Code extra tools. If that file is blank or contains only spaces and line breaks, Claude Code now treats it as listing no servers. It no longer tries to read it as JSON and fail. A note saying the file was blank is written to the debug log.
Why
An empty .mcp.json no longer shows a configuration error. You can leave the file in place with nothing in it.
How sure we are
One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.
Anthropic's release notes agreeFixed claude mcp list, claude doctor and /status reporting an empty .mcp.json as invalid
