You signed in to a remote MCP server last week. Today a request to it comes back unauthorized because the stored token has expired. What does Claude Code do?

Easyclaude-codemcpauthenticationoauth

Last reviewed 21 Aug 2026

It refreshes the stored token, reconnects to the server, and retries the request once.Correct answer
It sends you back through a full browser sign-in, since an expired token cannot be renewed silently.
It refreshes the token but abandons the call, so the same request has to be issued again by you.
It keeps refreshing and retrying in a loop until one of the attempts eventually manages to succeed.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A. It refreshes the stored token, reconnects to the server, and retries the request once.

Explanation

The principle — Routine expiry should not surface as a failure, but a genuine credential problem should surface immediately rather than being retried forever.

Why the key is correct — When a request to a server you already signed in to returns 401 Unauthorized, Claude Code refreshes the stored token, reconnects, and retries the request once. One retry is enough to cover expiry, and no more than that.

Why the others are wrong — A browser sign-in is not needed for ordinary expiry. The call is not abandoned; it is retried as part of the recovery. And the retry does not loop, because a second failure means something a retry cannot fix.

Remember this — Refresh, reconnect, retry once — then it tells you.

Sources — Anthropic's Claude Code MCP reference.

Sources

Primary sourceConnect Claude Code to tools via MCP — Anthropic · accessed 20 Aug 2026
“When a request to an OAuth server you already signed in to returns 401 Unauthorized, Claude Code refreshes the stored token, reconnects, and retries the request once.”

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You signed in to a remote MCP server last week. Today a request to it comes back unauthorized because the stored token has expired. What does Claude Code do?

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