fix(mcp): accept only http and https OAuth URLs

A malicious MCP server could supply a file: or custom protocol
authorization endpoint, which sign-in passed to the platform URL handler.

packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@
 
 - `pi update` for installs from the pi.dev installer no longer passes `--min-release-age=0` to `npm ci`. The release lockfile pins every package, so the flag had no effect, and security scanners that block it stopped the update ([#11262](https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/issues/11262))
 
+### Fixed
+
+- MCP sign-in now rejects authorization endpoints and other OAuth metadata URLs that are not `http:` or `https:`. Before, a malicious MCP server could supply a `file:` or custom protocol URL, which pi passed to the platform URL handler.
+
 ## [1.4.0] - 2026-10-21
 
 ### New Features

packages/mcp/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- OAuth metadata parsing and `startAuthorization()` now accept only `http:` and `https:` URLs. Before, a server could supply a `file:` or custom protocol authorization endpoint (for example `search-ms:`), which the platform URL handler would launch on sign-in.
+
 ## [1.4.0] - 2026-10-21
 
 ## [1.3.0] - 2026-10-15

packages/mcp/src/oauth/flow.ts

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
 } from "./errors.ts";
 import {
 	type AuthorizationServerMetadata,
+	isHttpUrl,
 	type OAuthClientInformation,
 	type OAuthClientInformationFull,
 	type OAuthClientInformationMixed,
@@ -186,6 +187,8 @@ export async function startAuthorization(
 		throw new Error("Authorization server does not support PKCE S256");
 	}
 	const url = new URL(metadata?.authorization_endpoint ?? new URL("/authorize", authorizationServerUrl));
+	// Callers open this URL with the platform URL handler, which also launches files and custom protocols.
+	if (!isHttpUrl(url)) throw new Error(`Invalid authorization endpoint ${url.href}`);
 	const { verifier, challenge } = await pkce();
 	url.searchParams.set("response_type", "code");
 	url.searchParams.set("client_id", options.clientInformation.client_id);

packages/mcp/src/oauth/types.ts

@@ -123,15 +123,21 @@ function optionalStrings(value: unknown, name: string): string[] | undefined {
 	return [...value];
 }
 
+/**
+ * Accepts only `http:` and `https:` URLs. Servers supply these URLs, and the authorization endpoint is
+ * opened with the platform URL handler, so a `file:` or custom protocol URL would launch local programs.
+ */
 function safeUrl(value: unknown, name: string): string {
 	const text = requiredString(value, name);
 	// URL parsing throws a `TypeError`, which discovery reserves for network failures.
-	if (!URL.canParse(text)) throw new Error(`Invalid ${name}`);
-	const url = new URL(text);
-	if (["javascript:", "data:", "vbscript:"].includes(url.protocol)) throw new Error(`Invalid ${name}`);
+	if (!URL.canParse(text) || !isHttpUrl(new URL(text))) throw new Error(`Invalid ${name}`);
 	return text;
 }
 
+export function isHttpUrl(url: URL): boolean {
+	return url.protocol === "http:" || url.protocol === "https:";
+}
+
 function optionalUrl(value: unknown, name: string): string | undefined {
 	return absent(value) ? undefined : safeUrl(value, name);
 }

packages/mcp/test/oauth.test.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
 	OAuthIssuerMismatchError,
 	type OAuthTokens,
 	registerClient,
+	startAuthorization,
 } from "../src/oauth/index.ts";
 import { closeServers, listen, readBody } from "./helpers.ts";
 
@@ -450,6 +451,39 @@ describe("MCP OAuth", () => {
 		await expect(discoverAuthorizationServerMetadata(origin)).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(OAuthIssuerMismatchError);
 	});
 
+	it("rejects non-HTTP authorization endpoints, which the platform URL handler would launch", async () => {
+		const endpoints = ["file://attacker.example/share/x.exe", "search-ms:query=x", "ms-msdt:/id"];
+		let endpoint = "";
+		const origin = await listen(async (_request, response, serverOrigin) => {
+			response.setHeader("content-type", "application/json");
+			response.end(
+				JSON.stringify({
+					issuer: serverOrigin,
+					authorization_endpoint: endpoint,
+					token_endpoint: `${serverOrigin}/token`,
+					response_types_supported: ["code"],
+				}),
+			);
+		});
+		for (const value of endpoints) {
+			endpoint = value;
+			await expect(discoverAuthorizationServerMetadata(origin)).rejects.toThrow("Invalid authorization endpoint");
+			const metadata = {
+				issuer: origin,
+				authorization_endpoint: value,
+				token_endpoint: `${origin}/token`,
+				response_types_supported: ["code"],
+			};
+			await expect(
+				startAuthorization(origin, {
+					metadata,
+					clientInformation: { client_id: "client" },
+					redirectUrl: "http://127.0.0.1/callback",
+				}),
+			).rejects.toThrow("Invalid authorization endpoint");
+		}
+	});
+
 	// #10172
 	it("uses a configured authorization server metadata document as is", async () => {
 		const origin = await listen(async (request, response, serverOrigin) => {