diff --git a/packages/metamcp-observability.patch b/packages/metamcp-observability.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f846424
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/metamcp-observability.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,441 @@
+diff -urN metamcp-2.4.22.orig/apps/backend/src/index.ts metamcp-2.4.22/apps/backend/src/index.ts
+--- a/apps/backend/src/index.ts	2026-05-23 23:45:36.313040968 +0300
++++ b/apps/backend/src/index.ts	2026-05-23 23:50:43.286804066 +0300
+@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
+ import express from "express";
+ 
+ import { auth } from "./auth";
++import {
++  mcpCancellationTotal,
++  mcpHopDurationSeconds,
++  mcpTraceparentSynthesizedTotal,
++  mcpUncaughtThrowTotal,
++  renderMetricsExposition,
++} from "./lib/observability/metrics";
++import { bindFromHeader, HOP_NAME, traceLog, traceStore } from "./lib/observability/trace";
+ import { initializeIdleServers } from "./lib/startup";
+ import mcpProxyRouter from "./routers/mcp-proxy";
+ import oauthRouter from "./routers/oauth";
+@@ -9,6 +17,42 @@
+ 
+ const app = express();
+ 
++// cluster#49 — bind W3C trace context for every request and stamp every
++// downstream log via traceStore.run(). cluster#50 — observe wall time
++// per hop and count cancellations.
++app.use((req, res, next) => {
++  const raw = req.headers.traceparent as string | undefined;
++  const { ctx, event } = bindFromHeader(raw);
++  if (event === "traceparent_synthesized") {
++    mcpTraceparentSynthesizedTotal.inc({ hop: HOP_NAME });
++  }
++  const t0 = process.hrtime.bigint();
++  let status: "success" | "error" | "cancelled" = "success";
++  res.on("close", () => {
++    // res.writableEnded is true when we finished writing; false here
++    // means the downstream client hung up mid-response.
++    if (!res.writableEnded) {
++      status = "cancelled";
++      mcpCancellationTotal.inc({ hop: HOP_NAME, source: "downstream" });
++    }
++    const dt = Number(process.hrtime.bigint() - t0) / 1e9;
++    mcpHopDurationSeconds.observe(
++      { hop: HOP_NAME, tool_name: "", status },
++      dt,
++    );
++  });
++  traceStore.run(ctx, () => {
++    if (event) traceLog("info", `event=${event}`);
++    next();
++  });
++});
++
++// cluster#50 — Prometheus exposition. Schema in Specs/mcp-metric-schema.
++app.get("/metrics", (_req, res) => {
++  res.set("Content-Type", "text/plain; version=0.0.4");
++  res.send(renderMetricsExposition());
++});
++
+ // Global JSON middleware for non-proxy routes
+ app.use((req, res, next) => {
+   if (req.path.startsWith("/mcp-proxy/") || req.path.startsWith("/metamcp/")) {
+@@ -108,3 +152,39 @@
+     status: "ok",
+   });
+ });
++
++// cluster#50 — Express error tail. Any unhandled error in middleware /
++// handlers funnels here; we count it so the uncaught-throw alert fires.
++app.use(
++  (
++    err: unknown,
++    _req: express.Request,
++    res: express.Response,
++    next: express.NextFunction,
++  ) => {
++    mcpUncaughtThrowTotal.inc({ hop: HOP_NAME, component: "express" });
++    traceLog("error", "event=uncaught_throw", {
++      error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
++    });
++    if (res.headersSent) return next(err);
++    res.status(500).json({ error: "internal error" });
++  },
++);
++
++// cluster#50 — last-resort process traps so unhandled rejections /
++// uncaught exceptions still feed the alert. Counting only; existing
++// behaviour (log + continue) is preserved.
++process.on("unhandledRejection", (err) => {
++  mcpUncaughtThrowTotal.inc({ hop: HOP_NAME, component: "unhandledRejection" });
++  traceLog("error", "event=uncaught_throw", {
++    component: "unhandledRejection",
++    error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err),
++  });
++});
++process.on("uncaughtException", (err) => {
++  mcpUncaughtThrowTotal.inc({ hop: HOP_NAME, component: "uncaughtException" });
++  traceLog("error", "event=uncaught_throw", {
++    component: "uncaughtException",
++    error: err.message,
++  });
++});
+diff -urN metamcp-2.4.22.orig/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/metrics.ts metamcp-2.4.22/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/metrics.ts
+--- a/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/metrics.ts	1970-01-01 03:00:00.000000000 +0300
++++ b/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/metrics.ts	2026-05-23 23:49:42.080145070 +0300
+@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
++// Hand-rolled Prometheus metrics for the metamcp aggregator.
++//
++// We avoid adding `prom-client` to package.json so the pnpm lockfile and
++// the Nix `pnpmDeps` hash stay untouched (cluster#50). This module
++// emits the canonical schema from Specs/mcp-metric-schema:
++//   mcp_hop_duration_seconds (histogram)
++//   mcp_cancellation_total (counter)
++//   mcp_uncaught_throw_total (counter)
++//   mcp_traceparent_synthesized_total (counter)
++//
++// Exposition is text format v0.0.4. The /metrics endpoint is registered
++// in index.ts.
++
++type LabelSet = Record<string, string>;
++
++function escapeLabel(v: string): string {
++  return v.replace(/\\/g, "\\\\").replace(/"/g, '\\"').replace(/\n/g, "\\n");
++}
++
++function renderLabels(labels: LabelSet): string {
++  const parts: string[] = [];
++  for (const k of Object.keys(labels).sort()) {
++    parts.push(`${k}="${escapeLabel(labels[k])}"`);
++  }
++  return parts.length ? `{${parts.join(",")}}` : "";
++}
++
++function labelKey(labels: LabelSet): string {
++  // Stable key for the labels map. Sort keys so the order is deterministic.
++  const ks = Object.keys(labels).sort();
++  return ks.map((k) => `${k}=${labels[k]}`).join("\x1f");
++}
++
++export class Counter {
++  private values = new Map<string, { labels: LabelSet; value: number }>();
++
++  constructor(
++    public readonly name: string,
++    public readonly help: string,
++    public readonly labelNames: readonly string[],
++  ) {}
++
++  inc(labels: LabelSet, by: number = 1): void {
++    const key = labelKey(labels);
++    const cur = this.values.get(key);
++    if (cur) {
++      cur.value += by;
++    } else {
++      this.values.set(key, { labels: { ...labels }, value: by });
++    }
++  }
++
++  render(): string {
++    const lines: string[] = [];
++    lines.push(`# HELP ${this.name} ${this.help}`);
++    lines.push(`# TYPE ${this.name} counter`);
++    for (const { labels, value } of this.values.values()) {
++      lines.push(`${this.name}${renderLabels(labels)} ${value}`);
++    }
++    return lines.join("\n");
++  }
++}
++
++export class Histogram {
++  private series = new Map<
++    string,
++    {
++      labels: LabelSet;
++      bucketCounts: number[]; // counts per bucket boundary (cumulative on render)
++      sum: number;
++      count: number;
++    }
++  >();
++
++  constructor(
++    public readonly name: string,
++    public readonly help: string,
++    public readonly labelNames: readonly string[],
++    public readonly buckets: readonly number[],
++  ) {}
++
++  observe(labels: LabelSet, value: number): void {
++    const key = labelKey(labels);
++    let s = this.series.get(key);
++    if (!s) {
++      s = {
++        labels: { ...labels },
++        bucketCounts: new Array(this.buckets.length).fill(0),
++        sum: 0,
++        count: 0,
++      };
++      this.series.set(key, s);
++    }
++    for (let i = 0; i < this.buckets.length; i++) {
++      if (value <= this.buckets[i]) s.bucketCounts[i] += 1;
++    }
++    s.sum += value;
++    s.count += 1;
++  }
++
++  render(): string {
++    const lines: string[] = [];
++    lines.push(`# HELP ${this.name} ${this.help}`);
++    lines.push(`# TYPE ${this.name} histogram`);
++    for (const s of this.series.values()) {
++      for (let i = 0; i < this.buckets.length; i++) {
++        const le = String(this.buckets[i]);
++        const lbls = renderLabels({ ...s.labels, le });
++        lines.push(`${this.name}_bucket${lbls} ${s.bucketCounts[i]}`);
++      }
++      const lblsInf = renderLabels({ ...s.labels, le: "+Inf" });
++      lines.push(`${this.name}_bucket${lblsInf} ${s.count}`);
++      lines.push(`${this.name}_sum${renderLabels(s.labels)} ${s.sum}`);
++      lines.push(`${this.name}_count${renderLabels(s.labels)} ${s.count}`);
++    }
++    return lines.join("\n");
++  }
++}
++
++// --- Schema instances --------------------------------------------------------
++
++const DURATION_BUCKETS = [
++  0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 30, 60, 120, 300,
++];
++
++export const mcpHopDurationSeconds = new Histogram(
++  "mcp_hop_duration_seconds",
++  "Wall time spent in this hop processing one MCP request",
++  ["hop", "tool_name", "status"],
++  DURATION_BUCKETS,
++);
++
++export const mcpCancellationTotal = new Counter(
++  "mcp_cancellation_total",
++  "Cancellations observed per hop",
++  ["hop", "source"],
++);
++
++export const mcpUncaughtThrowTotal = new Counter(
++  "mcp_uncaught_throw_total",
++  "Uncaught exceptions per component (today's smoking gun, see cluster#44)",
++  ["hop", "component"],
++);
++
++export const mcpTraceparentSynthesizedTotal = new Counter(
++  "mcp_traceparent_synthesized_total",
++  "Inbound MCP requests missing a traceparent header",
++  ["hop"],
++);
++
++export function renderMetricsExposition(): string {
++  return (
++    [
++      mcpHopDurationSeconds.render(),
++      mcpCancellationTotal.render(),
++      mcpUncaughtThrowTotal.render(),
++      mcpTraceparentSynthesizedTotal.render(),
++    ].join("\n") + "\n"
++  );
++}
+diff -urN metamcp-2.4.22.orig/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/trace.ts metamcp-2.4.22/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/trace.ts
+--- a/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/trace.ts	1970-01-01 03:00:00.000000000 +0300
++++ b/apps/backend/src/lib/observability/trace.ts	2026-05-23 23:49:11.700817887 +0300
+@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
++// W3C Trace Context propagation for the metamcp aggregator.
++//
++// Implements the contract from cluster#45 (Specs/mcp-request-id):
++//   traceparent header: 00-<trace-id:32-hex>-<span-id:16-hex>-<flags:2-hex>
++// Bound per-request via AsyncLocalStorage. Inbound HTTP header is read by
++// the express middleware in index.ts; outbound JSON-RPC to stdio children
++// reads currentTraceparentForUpstream() and injects it under
++// params._meta.traceparent (process-managed-transport.send).
++
++import { AsyncLocalStorage } from "node:async_hooks";
++import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
++
++export const HOP_NAME = "metamcp";
++
++export interface TraceCtx {
++  trace_id: string;
++  span_id: string;
++  parent_span_id: string;
++  hop: string;
++  tool_name: string;
++}
++
++const TRACEPARENT_RE = /^00-([0-9a-f]{32})-([0-9a-f]{16})-[0-9a-f]{2}$/;
++
++export const traceStore = new AsyncLocalStorage<TraceCtx>();
++
++export function newTraceId(): string {
++  return randomBytes(16).toString("hex");
++}
++
++export function newSpanId(): string {
++  return randomBytes(8).toString("hex");
++}
++
++export type ParsedTraceparent = {
++  trace_id: string;
++  parent_span_id: string;
++  malformed: boolean;
++};
++
++export function parseTraceparent(raw: string | undefined): ParsedTraceparent {
++  if (typeof raw !== "string") {
++    return { trace_id: "", parent_span_id: "", malformed: false };
++  }
++  const m = TRACEPARENT_RE.exec(raw.trim());
++  if (!m) {
++    return { trace_id: newTraceId(), parent_span_id: "", malformed: true };
++  }
++  return { trace_id: m[1], parent_span_id: m[2], malformed: false };
++}
++
++export type BindResult = {
++  ctx: TraceCtx;
++  // One of: "" (normal), "traceparent_synthesized", "traceparent_malformed".
++  // Caller emits the reserved event log so the dashboard can count it.
++  event: "" | "traceparent_synthesized" | "traceparent_malformed";
++};
++
++export function bindFromHeader(
++  raw: string | undefined,
++  tool_name: string = "",
++): BindResult {
++  let event: BindResult["event"] = "";
++  let trace_id = "";
++  let parent_span_id = "";
++  if (raw == null) {
++    trace_id = newTraceId();
++    event = "traceparent_synthesized";
++  } else {
++    const p = parseTraceparent(raw);
++    trace_id = p.trace_id;
++    parent_span_id = p.parent_span_id;
++    if (p.malformed) event = "traceparent_malformed";
++  }
++  const ctx: TraceCtx = {
++    trace_id,
++    span_id: newSpanId(),
++    parent_span_id,
++    hop: HOP_NAME,
++    tool_name,
++  };
++  return { ctx, event };
++}
++
++// Build a traceparent literal for outbound calls. Our span-id becomes the
++// downstream hop's parent_span_id (standard W3C propagation). Falls back
++// to synthesizing a fresh context when called outside any bound request
++// (e.g. session-pool keepalive paths that originate inside the server).
++export function currentTraceparentForUpstream(): string {
++  let ctx = traceStore.getStore();
++  if (!ctx || !ctx.trace_id) {
++    ctx = {
++      trace_id: newTraceId(),
++      span_id: newSpanId(),
++      parent_span_id: "",
++      hop: HOP_NAME,
++      tool_name: "",
++    };
++  }
++  return `00-${ctx.trace_id}-${ctx.span_id}-01`;
++}
++
++// Single structured log line stamped with the current trace fields. Use
++// from any code path that has a bound trace context. Outside a context,
++// emits with empty fields so existing call sites do not crash.
++export function traceLog(
++  level: "info" | "warn" | "error",
++  msg: string,
++  extra: Record<string, unknown> = {},
++): void {
++  const ctx = traceStore.getStore();
++  const rec: Record<string, unknown> = {
++    ts: Date.now() / 1000,
++    level,
++    msg,
++    hop: HOP_NAME,
++    trace_id: ctx?.trace_id ?? "",
++    span_id: ctx?.span_id ?? "",
++    parent_span_id: ctx?.parent_span_id ?? "",
++    tool_name: ctx?.tool_name ?? "",
++    ...extra,
++  };
++  const line = JSON.stringify(rec);
++  if (level === "error") console.error(line);
++  else if (level === "warn") console.warn(line);
++  else console.log(line);
++}
+diff -urN metamcp-2.4.22.orig/apps/backend/src/lib/stdio-transport/process-managed-transport.ts metamcp-2.4.22/apps/backend/src/lib/stdio-transport/process-managed-transport.ts
+--- a/apps/backend/src/lib/stdio-transport/process-managed-transport.ts	2026-05-23 23:45:36.315112630 +0300
++++ b/apps/backend/src/lib/stdio-transport/process-managed-transport.ts	2026-05-23 23:51:05.898047455 +0300
+@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
+ import { JSONRPCMessage } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js";
+ import spawn from "cross-spawn";
+ 
++import { currentTraceparentForUpstream } from "../observability/trace";
+ import { ReadBuffer, serializeMessage } from "./shared";
+ 
+ export type StdioServerParameters = {
+@@ -279,7 +280,32 @@
+         throw new Error("Not connected");
+       }
+ 
+-      const json = serializeMessage(message);
++      // cluster#49 — propagate W3C trace context to the stdio child via
++      // params._meta.traceparent (the MCP spec's standard escape hatch
++      // for transport-agnostic metadata). Only stamp on messages with
++      // params (notifications/requests); JSON-RPC responses ride back
++      // up so don't need it. Idempotent: existing _meta is preserved.
++      const tracedMessage = (() => {
++        const m = message as JSONRPCMessage & {
++          params?: Record<string, unknown>;
++        };
++        if (!m || typeof m !== "object" || !("params" in m)) return message;
++        if (m.params == null || typeof m.params !== "object") return message;
++        const meta = (m.params as Record<string, unknown>)._meta;
++        const traceparent = currentTraceparentForUpstream();
++        return {
++          ...m,
++          params: {
++            ...m.params,
++            _meta: {
++              ...(typeof meta === "object" && meta !== null ? meta : {}),
++              traceparent,
++            },
++          },
++        } as JSONRPCMessage;
++      })();
++
++      const json = serializeMessage(tracedMessage);
+       if (this._process.stdin.write(json)) {
+         resolve();
+       } else {
diff --git a/packages/metamcp.nix b/packages/metamcp.nix
index eed2648..f63628e 100644
--- a/packages/metamcp.nix
+++ b/packages/metamcp.nix
@@ -67,6 +67,15 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
       if (pkg.engines) delete pkg.engines.pnpm;
       fs.writeFileSync("package.json", JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2) + "\n");
     '
+
+    # cluster#49, cluster#50 — observability patch: W3C traceparent
+    # propagation (HTTP header → params._meta.traceparent on stdio
+    # children) + hand-rolled Prometheus metrics on /metrics, no new
+    # dependency so pnpmDeps stays untouched. Two new source files
+    # under apps/backend/src/lib/observability/ and minimal edits to
+    # apps/backend/src/index.ts and process-managed-transport.ts.
+    # Retire when this lands upstream.
+    patch -p1 < ${./metamcp-observability.patch}
   '';
 
   # pnpmConfigHook places node_modules; build the workspace with Turbo.