MCP removed its handshake and session state after reaching nearly half a billion monthly SDK downloads, turning agent tools into ordinary routable web infrastructure

MCP's 2026-07-28 specification removes the required handshake and protocol session, its largest operational change since remote transport launched. Every request becomes self-describing and can land behind a plain load balancer, while method headers enable routing, list results become cacheable and Multi Round-Trip Requests carry approvals without an open stream. The shift matters at close to half a billion monthly Tier 1 SDK downloads, with TypeScript and Python each above 1bn cumulative. The edition connects the protocol change to Microsoft and Wiz clearing 90.9% on CyberGym, Spur's $200m bot-detection round, Alphabet's $195bn to $205bn capital guide and Google's study of 14.65m workplace AI interactions.