ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp — Claude Code MCP server
Finds up-to-date technical documentation for APIs and libraries while trimming irrelevant sections to save tokens.
claude mcp add --transport http ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcpWhat ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp does
The server exposes two tools to your coding agent: ref_search_documentation for querying tech docs and ref_read_url to fetch and parse pages as Markdown. Instead of pulling an entire web page into context, it analyzes earlier queries from the session to drop unneeded sections.
Ref avoids returning duplicate links during follow-up searches within the same session. Without a valid REF_API_KEY, the server cannot execute search queries.
What it helps with
- search public and private technical documentation directly from an agent
- strip noise from lengthy doc pages to avoid wasting context tokens
- prevent duplicate search results during multi-step prompt refinements
- convert web documentation pages to Markdown for model consumption
Example prompts for the agent
- Search for Figma Comment API documentation using
ref_search_documentation - Fetch https://docs.n8n.io with
ref_read_urland extract node details - Query technical docs to compare merge and code nodes in n8n
How to install ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp
Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcpPlatform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp --url https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcpConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp": {
"url": "https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcp"
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcp"
}
}
}Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcpStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp
How do I install ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp in Claude Code?
Run this command in your terminal: claude mcp add --transport http ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp https://server.smithery.ai/@ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp/mcp.
What does ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp do?
It connects coding agents to technical documentation and trims web content down to relevant sections before adding it to context.
Is an API key required for Ref MCP?
Yes. You need an API key configured via the REF_API_KEY environment variable or the apiKey query parameter.
