Fetch (Reference) vs Ref MCP

A side-by-side comparison of two Search & Web servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Fetch (Reference) Official MCP reference server that fetches a URL and returns its content as clean Markdown, with chunking. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python	Ref MCP Token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Search & Web	Search & Web
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	87k	1.1k
Last commit	2 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-server-fetch`	`npx ref-tools-mcp@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick Ref MCP if you prefer its approach (token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs).

Add Fetch (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-fetch

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-fetch"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Ref MCP

Install / run

npx ref-tools-mcp@latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "ref-tools-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "<sign up to get an api key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Fetch (Reference) or Ref MCP — which is better?

Pick Fetch (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Ref MCP if you prefer its approach (token-efficient documentation search and reading for coding agents across public and private docs).

Can I use both Fetch (Reference) and Ref MCP?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Fetch (Reference) and Ref MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Fetch (Reference) →View Ref MCP →More comparisons →