Ref Tools MCP server

Ref Tools is the official remote MCP server from ref.tools. It answers at https://api.ref.tools/mcp over streamable HTTP and asks you to sign in with your ref.tools account before it lists its tools, so your client opens a login the first time it connects. Our probes reached it 6 of 6 times since 12 September 2026; the last check, on 24 October 2026, got the sign-in challenge, so it is up.

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

Description as the publisher wrote it.

What Ref Tools needs before it works

A sign-in. The server refused to list its tools to an anonymous client and answered with an authentication challenge, which is how an MCP server protected by OAuth behaves. Add it with one of the setups below; the first connection opens a login for your ref.tools account, and the tools appear once you have approved it.

Add Ref Tools to your AI client

Every block below points at https://api.ref.tools/mcp. Pick your client and copy.

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

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

{
  "servers": {
    "ref-tools": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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

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

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

name: Ref Tools
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: Ref Tools
    type: streamable-http
    url: https://api.ref.tools/mcp

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

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

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

goose://extension?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.ref.tools%2Fmcp&type=streamable_http&id=ref-tools&name=Ref%20Tools

Is Ref Tools up right now?

It answered our last check on 24 October 2026 in 235 ms. Over 6 checks since 12 September 2026 it answered 6. Status here comes from Neuronto's own probes, not from the publisher.

MCP servers similar to Ref Tools

Questions about Ref Tools

Is there an official Ref Tools MCP server?

Yes. It is published by ref.tools and served from api.ref.tools, the vendor's own domain: https://api.ref.tools/mcp.

How do I sign in to Ref Tools?

Add the server with a setup above. The first time your client connects it opens the sign-in page for ref.tools; approve it and the tools load.

Is Ref Tools down?

It answered our last check on 24 October 2026 in 235 ms. Over 6 checks since 12 September 2026 it answered 6.

How do I add Ref Tools to Cursor?

Put the server under mcpServers in ~/.cursor/mcp.json with the URL https://api.ref.tools/mcp. The exact JSON is above, with the same setup for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, VS Code, Windsurf, Zed, Gemini CLI and the rest.

Does Ref Tools need an API key?

It needs a sign-in rather than a key you paste: the server answered with an authentication challenge, so your client runs the login when it first connects.

Where this comes from

Publisher: tools.ref. Endpoint host: api.ref.tools. ARD identifier: urn:air:tools.ref:mcp:ref-tools-mcp. First indexed 10 September 2026. The tools are exactly what the server returned; nothing on this page is inferred from its name. Ranking in Neuronto search is never for sale.