diff --git a/docs/protocol.md b/docs/protocol.md
index 06c1b77b..e94da70d 100644
--- a/docs/protocol.md
+++ b/docs/protocol.md
@@ -791,9 +791,9 @@ or
 > **Note**: `ping` is removed from the protocol as of `2026-07-28` by
 > [SEP-2575](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/2575).
 > The SDK preserves the API for backward compatibility with legacy clients;
-> when both peers negotiate `2026-07-28`, the server returns
-> `MethodNotFound` (`-32601`) for `ping` and `KeepAlive` should not be
-> enabled.
+> when a session negotiates `2026-07-28` or later, `Ping` returns
+> `MethodNotFound` (`-32601`) locally, without a round trip, and
+> `KeepAlive` should not be enabled.
 
 ### Progress
 
diff --git a/internal/docs/protocol.src.md b/internal/docs/protocol.src.md
index 7d6b01b5..7bf8aadd 100644
--- a/internal/docs/protocol.src.md
+++ b/internal/docs/protocol.src.md
@@ -628,9 +628,9 @@ or
 > **Note**: `ping` is removed from the protocol as of `2026-07-28` by
 > [SEP-2575](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/modelcontextprotocol/pull/2575).
 > The SDK preserves the API for backward compatibility with legacy clients;
-> when both peers negotiate `2026-07-28`, the server returns
-> `MethodNotFound` (`-32601`) for `ping` and `KeepAlive` should not be
-> enabled.
+> when a session negotiates `2026-07-28` or later, `Ping` returns
+> `MethodNotFound` (`-32601`) locally, without a round trip, and
+> `KeepAlive` should not be enabled.
 
 ### Progress
 
diff --git a/mcp/client.go b/mcp/client.go
index d9b0f8f0..ab1c3353 100644
--- a/mcp/client.go
+++ b/mcp/client.go
@@ -1262,7 +1262,17 @@ func newClientRequest[P Params](cs *ClientSession, params P) *ClientRequest[P] {
 }
 
 // Ping makes an MCP "ping" request to the server.
+//
+// On sessions negotiated at protocol version 2026-07-28 or later, Ping
+// returns a [jsonrpc.Error] with code [jsonrpc.CodeMethodNotFound] without a
+// round trip: the 2026-07-28 protocol schema removes the ping method.
 func (cs *ClientSession) Ping(ctx context.Context, params *PingParams) error {
+	if cs.usesNewProtocol() {
+		return &jsonrpc.Error{
+			Code:    jsonrpc.CodeMethodNotFound,
+			Message: fmt.Sprintf("%q is not supported in the new protocol", methodPing),
+		}
+	}
 	_, err := handleSend[*emptyResult](ctx, methodPing, newClientRequest(cs, orZero[Params](params)))
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/mcp/client_test.go b/mcp/client_test.go
index afe9ecc6..d5ec8ec1 100644
--- a/mcp/client_test.go
+++ b/mcp/client_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ package mcp
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -764,6 +765,60 @@ func TestClientConnectDiscover(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestClientPingRemovedOnNewProtocol verifies that Ping on a session
+// negotiated at 2026-07-28 returns a jsonrpc.Error with
+// CodeMethodNotFound instead of sending the ping method, which the
+// 2026-07-28 protocol schema removes. A plain Connect negotiates
+// 2026-07-28 over in-memory transports via server/discover.
+func TestClientPingRemovedOnNewProtocol(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	var gotPing bool
+
+	s := NewServer(testImpl, nil)
+	ct, st := NewInMemoryTransports()
+	ss, err := s.Connect(ctx, st, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("server Connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer ss.Close()
+
+	c := NewClient(testImpl, nil)
+	// Registered before Connect: the session caches its sending handler at
+	// connect time. The middleware asserts that no ping request is sent.
+	c.AddSendingMiddleware(func(next MethodHandler) MethodHandler {
+		return func(ctx context.Context, method string, req Request) (Result, error) {
+			if method == methodPing {
+				gotPing = true
+			}
+			return next(ctx, method, req)
+		}
+	})
+	cs, err := c.Connect(ctx, ct, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("client Connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer cs.Close()
+
+	if ir := cs.InitializeResult(); ir == nil || ir.ProtocolVersion < protocolVersion20260728 {
+		t.Fatalf("InitializeResult = %+v, want a session negotiated at %s", ir, protocolVersion20260728)
+	}
+
+	err = cs.Ping(ctx, nil)
+	var jsonrpcErr *jsonrpc.Error
+	if !errors.As(err, &jsonrpcErr) {
+		t.Fatalf("Ping on a 2026-07-28 session = %v (%T), want *jsonrpc.Error", err, err)
+	}
+	if jsonrpcErr.Code != jsonrpc.CodeMethodNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("code = %d, want %d", jsonrpcErr.Code, jsonrpc.CodeMethodNotFound)
+	}
+	if got, want := jsonrpcErr.Message, `"ping" is not supported in the new protocol`; got != want {
+		t.Errorf("message = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	if gotPing {
+		t.Error("ping request was sent despite the removed-method guard")
+	}
+}
+
 // TestClientConnectDiscover_RequestContents verifies that the server/discover
 // request sent by Client.Connect carries the SEP-2575 per-request _meta triple:
 // protocolVersion, clientInfo, and clientCapabilities.
diff --git a/mcp/cmd_test.go b/mcp/cmd_test.go
index 632147b2..be021c8e 100644
--- a/mcp/cmd_test.go
+++ b/mcp/cmd_test.go
@@ -100,7 +100,9 @@ func TestServerRunContextCancel(t *testing.T) {
 			onServerExit <- server.Run(ctx, serverTransport)
 		}()
 
-		// send a ping to the server to ensure it's running
+		// Connect to the server to ensure it's running: a successful connect
+		// completes a full handshake (or a discovery round trip on
+		// 2026-07-28 sessions, where the ping method is removed).
 		client := mcp.NewClient(&mcp.Implementation{Name: "client", Version: "v0.0.1"}, nil)
 		session, err := client.Connect(ctx, clientTransport, nil)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -108,10 +110,6 @@ func TestServerRunContextCancel(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		t.Cleanup(func() { session.Close() })
 
-		if err := session.Ping(context.Background(), nil); err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
 		// cancel the context to stop the server
 		cancel()