Ref MCP Server

Introduction

This MCP server provides comprehensive documentation search and retrieval capabilities, enabling users to efficiently find and access technical documentation from both public and private sources. The server focuses on making development resources easily discoverable and readable through intelligent search functionality.

The main functionality centers around two complementary tools: documentation search across web, GitHub, and private repositories, and URL content reading that converts web content into markdown format. This combination allows for seamless discovery and consumption of technical documentation, making it particularly valuable for developers, technical writers, and teams working with complex codebases.

The server supports both public documentation searches across widely available resources and private documentation searches within proprietary repositories and PDF documents, providing flexibility for both open-source and enterprise environments.

Use Cases

Technical Documentation Research When developers need to find specific implementation details or API references for libraries and frameworks they're working with.

Sample prompt: Find documentation for React hooks useState and useEffect with examples of how to manage component state

Private Codebase Documentation Access For teams working with internal documentation stored in private repositories or PDF files that need to be quickly searchable and accessible.

Sample prompt: Search our private documentation for authentication implementation guidelines using our internal SSO system

API Integration Research When integrating with third-party services and needing to locate specific endpoint documentation, authentication methods, or SDK usage examples.

Sample prompt: Find Stripe payment API documentation specifically for handling subscription webhooks and event processing

Framework Migration Planning For developers evaluating or migrating between different frameworks who need to compare documentation and implementation approaches.

Sample prompt: Search for Next.js 13 app router documentation and compare it with pages router implementation patterns

Content Reading and Analysis After finding relevant documentation URLs, users need to read and analyze the full content in a structured markdown format for better comprehension.

Sample prompt: Read the content from this GitHub documentation URL: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/creating-actions/creating-a-composite-action and format it as markdown

Cross-Repository Documentation Search For large organizations with documentation scattered across multiple repositories, enabling unified search across all sources.

Sample prompt: Search both public and private sources for Docker containerization best practices specific to Node.js applications