RFD Draft: Meta Field Propagation Conventions

docs/rfds/meta-propagation.mdx

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+---
+title: "Meta Field Propagation Conventions"
+---
+
+Author(s): [Adrian Cole](https://github.com/codefromthecrypt)
+
+## Elevator pitch
+
+Document `params._meta` as the convention for propagating metadata from clients to agents, such as trace identifiers or correlation IDs. This aligns with [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/), enabling shared instrumentation since both protocols use stdio JSON-RPC transports.
+
+## Status quo
+
+ACP clients already propagate context to agents via `_meta`. For example, `requestId` is used for request correlation in [AionUi](https://github.com/iOfficeAI/AionUi/blob/main/src/common/codex/types/eventData.ts#L12-L16).
+
+However, the [extensibility](../protocol/extensibility) documentation does not specify the `_meta` type or document its use for propagation. Without documentation, parties must coordinate ad hoc, which can lead to portability accidents (such as one side using `_meta.traceparent` and the other `_meta.otel.traceparent`). Documenting that propagated fields are root keys in `_meta` prevents this.
+
+## What we propose to do about it
+
+Update the [extensibility](../protocol/extensibility#the-_meta-field) documentation with two changes:
+
+1. Add the type `{ [key: string]: unknown }` to the existing summary sentence. This type is compatible with MCP SDKs.
+2. Add a new paragraph after the JSON example about propagation conventions.
+
+## Shiny future
+
+- Same instrumentation (OpenInference, etc.) works for both ACP and MCP.
+- Observability tools can correlate traces across protocols.
+
+## Implementation details
+
+**Change 1**: Update the existing summary sentence in [extensibility](../protocol/extensibility#the-_meta-field):
+
+```diff
+-All types in the protocol include a `_meta` field that implementations can use to attach custom information.
++All types in the protocol include a `_meta` field with type `{ [key: string]: unknown }` that implementations can use to attach custom information.
+```
+
+**Change 2**: After the JSON example, before "Implementations **MUST NOT**", add:
+
+> Clients may propagate fields to the agent for correlation purposes, such as `requestId`. The following root-level keys in `_meta` **SHOULD** be reserved for [W3C trace context](https://www.w3.org/TR/trace-context/) to guarantee interop with existing MCP implementations and OpenTelemetry tooling:
+>
+> - `traceparent`
+> - `tracestate`
+> - `baggage`
+
+## FAQ
+
+### Why document this now?
+
+Clients already propagate context via `_meta`. Documenting prevents incompatible drift and enables shared tooling with MCP.
+
+### Why reference MCP?
+
+ACP and MCP are the two core agentic protocols, both using stdio JSON-RPC. Where `_meta` types are compatible, instrumentation code can be abstracted and reused for both:
+
+Here are several MCP SDKs that propagate W3C trace-context in `_meta`:
+- [MCP C# SDK](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/csharp-sdk) - native W3C trace-context propagation
+- [OpenInference](https://github.com/Arize-ai/openinference) - Python and TypeScript MCP instrumentation (collaboration between Arize and Elastic)
+- [curioswitch/mcp-go-sdk-otel](https://github.com/curioswitch/mcp-go-sdk-otel) - Go MCP instrumentation
+
+## Revision history
+
+- 2025-11-28: Initial draft