diff --git a/src/mcp/server/stdio.py b/src/mcp/server/stdio.py
index de8bbae5f1..680c689855 100644
--- a/src/mcp/server/stdio.py
+++ b/src/mcp/server/stdio.py
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def _restore_fd(fd: int, private_fd: int) -> bool:
 
 def _claim_fd(
     fd: int, stream: TextIO, mode: Literal["rb", "wb"], open_diversion: Callable[[], int]
-) -> tuple[BinaryIO, Callable[[], None] | None]:
+) -> tuple[BinaryIO | None, Callable[[], None] | None]:
     """Claim a standard stream: divert fd and serve the wire from a private duplicate.
 
     Best-effort: when descriptors cannot be duplicated or diverted, serves the
@@ -115,7 +115,12 @@ def _claim_fd(
         RuntimeError: fd is already claimed by another transport in this process.
     """
     if not _is_backed_by_fd(stream, fd):
-        return stream.buffer, None
+        if hasattr(stream, "buffer"):
+            return stream.buffer, None
+        # Bufferless text stream (e.g. io.StringIO): serve the text stream in place.
+        # There is no binary layer to re-encode and nothing for _UnownedTextWrapper to
+        # protect from close, so register no teardown and let the caller wrap it directly.
+        return None, None
     claim = _StreamClaim(fd)
     with _claims_lock:
         if fd in _claims:
@@ -173,10 +178,18 @@ async def stdio_server(stdin: anyio.AsyncFile[str] | None = None, stdout: anyio.
     try:
         if not stdin:
             stdin_buffer, restore_stdin = _claim_fd(0, sys.stdin, "rb", _open_stdin_diversion)
-            stdin = anyio.wrap_file(_UnownedTextWrapper(stdin_buffer, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace"))
+            if stdin_buffer is not None:
+                stdin = anyio.wrap_file(_UnownedTextWrapper(stdin_buffer, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace"))
+            else:
+                # Bufferless text stream (e.g. io.StringIO): serve in place.
+                stdin = anyio.wrap_file(sys.stdin)
         if not stdout:
             stdout_buffer, restore_stdout = _claim_fd(1, sys.stdout, "wb", _open_stdout_diversion)
-            stdout = anyio.wrap_file(_UnownedTextWrapper(stdout_buffer, encoding="utf-8"))
+            if stdout_buffer is not None:
+                stdout = anyio.wrap_file(_UnownedTextWrapper(stdout_buffer, encoding="utf-8"))
+            else:
+                # Bufferless text stream (e.g. io.StringIO): serve in place.
+                stdout = anyio.wrap_file(sys.stdout)
 
         read_stream_writer, read_stream = create_context_streams[SessionMessage | Exception](0)
         write_stream, write_stream_reader = create_context_streams[SessionMessage](0)
diff --git a/tests/server/test_stdio.py b/tests/server/test_stdio.py
index eafd1fca59..b75239d5c0 100644
--- a/tests/server/test_stdio.py
+++ b/tests/server/test_stdio.py
@@ -692,3 +692,43 @@ def test_mcpserver_run_stdio_serves_a_modern_connection(monkeypatch: pytest.Monk
     # resultType is modern-only: proves the request was served at the discovered version.
     assert responses[1].result["tools"] == []
     assert responses[1].result["resultType"] == "complete"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.anyio
+async def test_stdio_server_serves_bufferless_text_streams_in_place() -> None:
+    """stdio_server() serves when sys.stdin/stdout are replaced with bufferless text streams.
+
+    Regression for the issue where _claim_fd's fallback dereferences `.buffer` on a stream
+    that has none (e.g. io.StringIO), raising AttributeError before serving any message.
+    Bufferless streams are already text; there is no binary layer to re-encode and nothing
+    for _UnownedTextWrapper to protect from close, so the text stream is served in place.
+    """
+    # Replace sys.stdin/stdout with bufferless StringIO - the exact shape that crashed.
+    original_stdin = sys.stdin
+    original_stdout = sys.stdout
+    try:
+        sys.stdin = io.StringIO(
+            JSONRPCRequest(jsonrpc="2.0", id=1, method="ping")
+            .model_dump_json(by_alias=True, exclude_none=True)
+            + "\n"
+        )
+        sys.stdout = io.StringIO()
+
+        request = JSONRPCRequest(jsonrpc="2.0", id=1, method="ping")
+        response = JSONRPCResponse(jsonrpc="2.0", id=1, result={})
+
+        with anyio.fail_after(5):
+            async with stdio_server() as (read_stream, write_stream):
+                async with read_stream:
+                    received = await read_stream.receive()
+                    assert isinstance(received, SessionMessage)
+                    assert received.message == request
+
+                    await write_stream.send(SessionMessage(response))
+                    await write_stream.aclose()
+
+        # The transport wrote to the replaced stdout; nothing leaked to the real stdout.
+        assert sys.stdout.getvalue()
+    finally:
+        sys.stdin = original_stdin
+        sys.stdout = original_stdout