Ref Tools MCP Server

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answering

Ref Tools MCP is answering right now. Last checked 5 min ago. Last commit 6 May 2026.

Token-efficient search for coding agents over public and private documentation.

Uptime history 47 days of history · worst day 95%

47 days agonow

100.0%

Uptime 24h

92 of 92 checks

—

Tools

hidden behind auth

247 ms

Response time

average over 24h

1176

Stars

last commit 6 May 2026

Nothing serious here today

Today is the operative word: we check Ref Tools MCP every 15 minutes and re-read its code on every release. Watch it and you find out the day that stops being true.

Connect this server

Endpoint below is the one we actually reach during checks — not the one copied from a README. Last verified 5 min ago.

Claude Code Claude Desktop Codex Cursor VS Code

run in your terminal

claude mcp add ref-tools-mcp --transport http https://api.ref.tools/mcp

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.ref-tools-mcp]
url = "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-mcp": {
      "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"
    }
  }
}

This endpoint answered with an authorization challenge. The server is running, but it did not say what kind of credentials it expects.

Endpoints

URL	Transport	State	Latency	Checked
https://api.ref.tools/mcp	streamable-http	needs auth	198 ms	5 min ago

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Ref Tools MCP — questions

Answers built from our own checks of this server.

Why is there no tool list for Ref Tools MCP?

The server answered our handshake with an authorization challenge, so it is running — but it will not describe its tools to an anonymous client. To see them you need to connect with your own credentials. We record it as alive, not as broken: 100.0% of checks in the last 24 hours got a reply.

Is Ref Tools MCP working right now?

We send a real MCP handshake every 15 minutes. Over the last 24 hours 92 of 92 checks got a reply (100.0%), average response time 247 ms. The bar chart above shows every period we have measured.

How do I connect Ref Tools MCP?

Copy the ready config from this page — we generate it for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor and VS Code, each with the file path that client actually reads. It is a remote server, so there is nothing to install — the client connects to the address. You will need your own credentials: it refuses anonymous clients.

Does Ref Tools MCP need an API key?

Yes. Every time we knock, Ref Tools MCP answers with an authorization challenge instead of its tool list — that is how we know it is running and gated rather than broken. Bring your own credentials and it will talk.

How fast is Ref Tools MCP?

It answers our handshake in 247 ms on average, which is faster than 58% of all working MCP servers we measure. The comparison comes from our own checks across the whole registry, every 15 minutes.

Is Ref Tools MCP open source?

Yes — it is published under the MIT licence, written in TypeScript, 1 176 stars on GitHub and 4 open issues. The source link is on this page, so you can read exactly what it does with your data before you connect it.