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Record · ref-tools-mcMCP serverCosts not checkedRecord checked Sep 23, 2026

Ref MCP

Token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents, across public and private libraries.

Visit Ref MCP →View repository

Sources and review

Checked against public documentation on . Suitability guidance is our editorial judgment; this is not a performance benchmark or an endorsement.

Best for

Coding agents that repeatedly look up third-party API docs and need to conserve context.

Avoid if

You'd rather not sign up for a service; it needs a Ref API key.

About Ref MCP

Ref MCP gives coding agents documentation for APIs, services and libraries through search and read tools designed to return only the relevant part of a page, keeping context small. It connects over streamable HTTP or stdio.

Ref MCP is listed in this index written primarily in TypeScript, with 1.2k stars on GitHub. Its latest recorded repository push was in October 2026; that is not an ASE editorial review date.

Before connecting: access and data

This record's specific permissions have not been reviewed by ASE. Read the publisher's documentation before copying setup or connecting.

  • List the accounts, files and services the enabled tools can read, change or execute. Check your actual credentials and discovered tools.
  • Use narrowly scoped credentials and read-only mode where supported. Review proposed writes before approving them; a generated configuration does not apply these limits for you.
  • Local launch is not local-only data processing. External services receive requests, and your client may pass tool results to its model provider. Check both destinations before sharing private data.
  • Keep keys and browser session files out of shared config, repositories and screenshots. Know how to disconnect the server and separately revoke its credentials or account sessions.

Read the setup guide →

Add Ref MCP to your MCP client

Generated from the launch command in the project's README. Your client starts the server on demand. Replace <your-api-key> with your own value first.

Claude CodeRun in your terminal
claude mcp add ref-tools-mcp -e 'REF_API_KEY=<your-api-key>' -- npx ref-tools-mcp@latest
Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}
VS Code.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}
Claude Desktopclaude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}
Codex~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.ref-tools-mcp]
command = "npx"
args = ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"]
env = { REF_API_KEY = "<your-api-key>" }

Check the project's README for required accounts, keys and permissions before connecting. Setup guide for each client →

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