filesystem vs ref-tools-mcp
Side-by-side comparison to help you pick between these two MCP servers.
filesystem by modelcontextprotocol | ref-tools-mcp by ref-tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Stars | ★ 85,748 | ★ 1,104 |
| 30d uses | — | — |
| Score | 77 | 54 |
| Official | ✓ | — |
| Categories | File SystemDeveloper ToolsProductivity | Developer ToolsAI / LLM ToolsSearch |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last commit | this month | this month |
filesystem · Summary
A feature-rich MCP server for filesystem operations with dynamic directory access control.
ref-tools-mcp · Summary
Ref MCP provides token-efficient API documentation search tools to reduce context rot and minimize costs.
filesystem · Use cases
- Enable AI models to read and write project files during development
- Allow Claude or other MCP clients to browse and analyze codebases
- Provide secure sandboxed access to specific directories for content generation
ref-tools-mcp · Use cases
- AI coding agents searching API documentation without overwhelming context windows
- Development teams maintaining up-to-date references for multiple services
- Cost reduction by minimizing token usage when fetching documentation
filesystem · Install
Installation
Using NPX
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/path/to/allowed/directory"
]
}
}
}Using Docker
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"--mount", "type=bind,src=/path/to/allowed/dir,dst=/projects/allowed/dir",
"mcp/filesystem",
"/projects"
]
}
}
}VS Code Extension
Click the installation buttons in the README to install directly in VS Code.
ref-tools-mcp · Install
Installation Options
Streamable HTTP (Recommended)
Add to your Cursor configuration:
"Ref": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY"
}stdio (Legacy)
Add to your Cursor configuration:
"Ref": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"REF_API_KEY": <sign up to get an api key>
}
}Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ref-tools": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["ref-tools-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}