Ref - Up-To-Date Docs vs Ask Rubber Duck
Ask Rubber Duck is no longer listed on any marketplace we read: these are its last known data, as of 2026‑10‑20.
Ref - Up-To-Date Docs is an MCP server published by ref-tools. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Ask Rubber Duck is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by askrubberduck. No marketplace we read lists it any more. As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-20. A plugin in this pair is no longer listed on any marketplace we read, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Ref - Up-To-Date Docs | |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:8b5fcfe3e4e1 Forks (GitHub): 86 Pulls (Docker Hub): 19 158 Stars (Docker Hub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 1 183 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Community marketplace askrubberduck/skills | Not listed | Removed on 2026-10-20 Version: 3.16.7 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 5 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Ref - Up-To-Date Docs | Ask Rubber Duckno longer listed · |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 | 0 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 183 | 5 |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 19 158 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 86 | 0 |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/ref-tools-mcp) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 20 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp | github.com/askrubberduck/skills |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 6 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-15 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. No value is marked better or worse: a plugin no marketplace lists any more is shown with its last known data, which we do not rank against current figures.
What to use instead of Ask Rubber Duck
Plugins still listed whose own names, descriptions, tools and skills are closest in meaning to it. Comparable, not endorsed.
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Restates the problem in its own words and lists its assumptions before it starts work.
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rubber-duck is a Socratic thinking partner for Claude Code. Inspired by the classic rubber duck debugging technique—but with a duck that actually talks back—it helps you think…
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BDD-first engineering skills forked from mattpocock/skills (synced 2026-09-23)
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Context-Driven Development: draft specs and plans before implementation. Structured workflows for features and fixes.
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Context-Driven Development: draft specs and plans before implementation. Structured workflows for features and fixes.
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Verification-first engineering toolkit — 15 skills around a 5-phase spine (Investigate → Design → Implement → Verify → Ship), 8 specialist agents, interactive setup wizard…
What each says it does
Ref - Up-To-Date Docs
Ref powerful search tool connets your coding tools with documentation context. It includes an up-to-date index of public documentation and it can ingest your private documentation (eg. GitHub repos, PDFs) as well.
Ask Rubber Duck
Make the work prove itself. Challenge the goal, cut the clutter, and check what actually happened.
How to run each
Ref - Up-To-Date Docs As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "REF_API_KEY=<YOUR_REF_API_KEY>" --transport stdio ref -- docker run -i --rm -e REF_API_KEY mcp/ref-tools-mcpRequires: REF_API_KEY (secret)
Ask Rubber Duck
No data for an automatic command: what its marketplaces declare does not say unambiguously how to connect it.
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Ask Rubber Duck publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of Ask Rubber Duck publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: Ref - Up-To-Date Docs · What it can do: Ask Rubber Duck · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.