Ref Tools MCP Server

Content

Ref Tools MCP Server gives Claude documentation search and URL-reading tools for technical work. It can search public documentation and Ref-indexed private resources, then read selected URLs as markdown so agents can pull focused context for a specific library, API, service, or framework question.

Use it when a coding agent needs current documentation without stuffing an entire docs page into context, or when a team has Ref-indexed private repositories, PDFs, or docs that should be searchable through an MCP client.

Source Review

• https://github.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/README.md
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/LICENSE
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/package.json
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/server.json
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/manifest.json
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/index.ts
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/smithery.yaml
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/main/Dockerfile

These sources were reviewed on 2026-06-06. Prefer the live repository, README, license, package metadata, MCP registry metadata, manifest, server implementation, Smithery configuration, and Dockerfile for current setup and transport details.

Features

• Search documentation with ref_search_documentation.
• Read a selected URL as markdown with ref_read_url.
• Use OpenAI deep-research compatible search and fetch aliases when the client identifies itself as an OpenAI MCP client.
• Search public documentation by default.
• Search private Ref resources through the private-docs prompt path.
• Run through the hosted streamable HTTP endpoint with an API key.
• Run the legacy stdio package with REF_API_KEY.
• Support HTTP deployment through the included container and Smithery metadata.

Installation

For the hosted streamable HTTP endpoint, configure the Ref MCP URL with a Ref API key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Ref": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp?apiKey=<ref-api-key>"
    }
  }
}

For the legacy stdio package, use the npm package with REF_API_KEY:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Ref": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "ref-tools-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<ref-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use the hosted endpoint when the MCP client supports streamable HTTP, and use stdio when a local MCP package is required.

Use Cases

• Ask Claude to search official docs before writing code against a library.
• Read only the selected documentation URL that matches a search result.
• Search private Ref-indexed repositories, PDFs, or internal docs when the user is authorized to use them.
• Reduce documentation context by searching first and reading the most relevant page afterward.
• Support OpenAI deep-research clients with compatible search and fetch tool names.
• Keep API-reference lookups separate from broad web search.

Safety and Privacy

Ref Tools routes documentation searches and URL reads through the Ref API unless a deployment overrides REF_URL. Treat search queries, URLs, returned snippets, session ids, module ids, private-source prompts, and API keys as sensitive. Do not include private repository names, customer identifiers, unreleased product details, or proprietary API designs in search prompts unless the Ref workspace is approved for that data.

The private-docs path can search resources uploaded or indexed in Ref, including repositories, PDFs, and internal documentation. Review which clients, users, and workspaces receive the Ref API key, and redact keys, private URLs, internal search terms, and returned passages from logs or screenshots.

Duplicate Check

No ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp, Ref Tools MCP, Ref MCP, documentation-search MCP, private-docs MCP, or matching source URL entry was found in content/mcp or README.md. Existing search and documentation MCP entries do not cover Ref's API-backed public and private documentation search server.