diff --git a/memoria/crates/memoria-api/src/routes/mcp.rs b/memoria/crates/memoria-api/src/routes/mcp.rs
index c5190ed..f9d0379 100644
--- a/memoria/crates/memoria-api/src/routes/mcp.rs
+++ b/memoria/crates/memoria-api/src/routes/mcp.rs
@@ -156,7 +156,8 @@ pub async fn mcp_handler(
     auth: AuthUser,
     body: String,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
-    // Start timing here — auth already succeeded, this is real billable traffic.
+    // Start timing after auth. Billable MCP requests are recorded below; transport
+    // liveness checks short-circuit before entering the usage-accounting pipeline.
     let t = std::time::Instant::now();
 
     // Helper: record a validation-failure entry and return early.
@@ -232,6 +233,17 @@ pub async fn mcp_handler(
         }
     };
 
+    // `ping` is a transport-level liveness check and can be sent frequently by MCP
+    // clients. Keep authentication and rate limiting, but do not count it as product
+    // usage or persist it in the API call log.
+    if method == "ping" {
+        if req.get("id").is_none() {
+            return StatusCode::NO_CONTENT.into_response();
+        }
+        let id = req["id"].clone();
+        return Json(json!({"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": id, "result": {}})).into_response();
+    }
+
     let params = req.get("params").cloned();
     let track_path = tracking_path(&method, params.as_ref());
     let tracked_tool = if method == "tools/call" {
diff --git a/memoria/crates/memoria-api/tests/api_e2e.rs b/memoria/crates/memoria-api/tests/api_e2e.rs
index 0566fdb..eb9918b 100644
--- a/memoria/crates/memoria-api/tests/api_e2e.rs
+++ b/memoria/crates/memoria-api/tests/api_e2e.rs
@@ -9434,6 +9434,45 @@ async fn test_mcp_initialize() {
     );
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn test_mcp_ping() {
+    let (base, client, _server) = spawn_server().await;
+    let uid = uid();
+
+    let resp = mcp_post_with_headers(
+        &client,
+        &base,
+        json!({"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "method": "ping"}),
+        &[("X-User-Id", uid.as_str())],
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    assert_eq!(resp, json!({"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "result": {}}));
+    println!("✅ POST /mcp ping");
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn test_mcp_ping_notification_returns_no_content() {
+    let (base, client, _server) = spawn_server().await;
+    let uid = uid();
+
+    let response = client
+        .post(format!("{base}/mcp"))
+        .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+        .header("X-User-Id", uid)
+        .body(r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"ping"}"#)
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .expect("POST /mcp ping notification");
+
+    assert_eq!(response.status(), reqwest::StatusCode::NO_CONTENT);
+    assert!(response
+        .text()
+        .await
+        .expect("read ping notification response")
+        .is_empty());
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn test_mcp_tools_list() {
     let (base, client, _server) = spawn_server().await;
diff --git a/memoria/crates/memoria-mcp/src/server.rs b/memoria/crates/memoria-mcp/src/server.rs
index 41cdc1a..7d38edd 100644
--- a/memoria/crates/memoria-mcp/src/server.rs
+++ b/memoria/crates/memoria-mcp/src/server.rs
@@ -46,12 +46,24 @@ struct Response {
 
 enum RpcMethod {
     Initialize,
+    Ping,
     ToolsList,
     ToolsCall,
     NotificationsInitialized,
     Unknown(String),
 }
 
+fn parse_rpc_method(method: &str) -> RpcMethod {
+    match method {
+        "initialize" => RpcMethod::Initialize,
+        "ping" => RpcMethod::Ping,
+        "tools/list" => RpcMethod::ToolsList,
+        "tools/call" => RpcMethod::ToolsCall,
+        "notifications/initialized" => RpcMethod::NotificationsInitialized,
+        _ => RpcMethod::Unknown(method.to_string()),
+    }
+}
+
 const GIT_TOOL_NAMES: &[&str] = &[
     "memory_snapshot",
     "memory_snapshots",
@@ -291,19 +303,14 @@ async fn dispatch(
     user_id: &str,
 ) -> Result<Value, McpRpcError> {
     let p = params.unwrap_or(Value::Null);
-    let method = match method {
-        "initialize" => RpcMethod::Initialize,
-        "tools/list" => RpcMethod::ToolsList,
-        "tools/call" => RpcMethod::ToolsCall,
-        "notifications/initialized" => RpcMethod::NotificationsInitialized,
-        _ => RpcMethod::Unknown(method.to_string()),
-    };
+    let method = parse_rpc_method(method);
     match method {
         RpcMethod::Initialize => Ok(json!({
             "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
             "capabilities": {"tools": {}},
             "serverInfo": {"name": "memoria-mcp-rs", "version": "0.1.0"}
         })),
+        RpcMethod::Ping => Ok(json!({})),
         RpcMethod::ToolsList => {
             let mut all_tools = tools::list().as_array().unwrap().clone();
             all_tools.extend(git_tools::list().as_array().unwrap().clone());
@@ -350,19 +357,14 @@ async fn dispatch_embedded_owned(
     user_id: String,
 ) -> Result<Value, McpRpcError> {
     let p = params.unwrap_or(Value::Null);
-    let method = match method.as_str() {
-        "initialize" => RpcMethod::Initialize,
-        "tools/list" => RpcMethod::ToolsList,
-        "tools/call" => RpcMethod::ToolsCall,
-        "notifications/initialized" => RpcMethod::NotificationsInitialized,
-        _ => RpcMethod::Unknown(method),
-    };
+    let method = parse_rpc_method(&method);
     match method {
         RpcMethod::Initialize => Ok(json!({
             "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
             "capabilities": {"tools": {}},
             "serverInfo": {"name": "memoria-mcp-rs", "version": "0.1.0"}
         })),
+        RpcMethod::Ping => Ok(json!({})),
         RpcMethod::ToolsList => {
             let mut all_tools = tools::list().as_array().unwrap().clone();
             all_tools.extend(git_tools::list().as_array().unwrap().clone());
@@ -398,7 +400,31 @@ async fn dispatch_embedded_owned(
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{is_git_tool, GIT_TOOL_NAMES};
+    use super::{
+        dispatch, is_git_tool, parse_rpc_method, Mode, RemoteClient, RpcMethod, GIT_TOOL_NAMES,
+    };
+    use serde_json::json;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ping_is_a_known_rpc_method() {
+        assert!(matches!(parse_rpc_method("ping"), RpcMethod::Ping));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn ping_returns_an_empty_result_without_calling_the_backend() {
+        let mode = Mode::Remote(RemoteClient::new(
+            "http://127.0.0.1:1",
+            None,
+            "test-user".to_string(),
+            None,
+        ));
+
+        let result = dispatch("ping", None, &mode, "test-user")
+            .await
+            .expect("ping should succeed");
+
+        assert_eq!(result, json!({}));
+    }
 
     #[test]
     fn git_dispatch_list_includes_memory_apply() {