Ref - Up-To-Date Docs vs core-skills
core-skills is no longer listed on any marketplace we read: these are its last known data, as of 2026‑10‑19.
Ref - Up-To-Date Docs is an MCP server published by ref-tools. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). core-skills is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Dean Dumitru. No marketplace we read lists it any more. As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-19. 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): 82 Pulls (Docker Hub): 19 132 Stars (Docker Hub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 1 182 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Community marketplace deandum/claude-resources | Not listed | Removed on 2026-10-19 Version: 3.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 4 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 | core-skillsno longer listed · |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 | 0 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 1 182 | 4 |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 19 132 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 82 | 1 |
| 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 |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | Not published | 2 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 43 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp | github.com/deandum/claude-resources |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 4 |
| 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 core-skills
Plugins still listed whose own names, descriptions, tools and skills are closest in meaning to it. Comparable, not endorsed.
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Production-grade engineering skills covering every phase of software development: spec, plan, build, verify, review, and ship.
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Production-grade engineering skills covering every phase of software development: spec, plan, build, verify, review, and ship.
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37 advanced engineering skills: agent designer, agent workflow designer, RAG architect, database designer + schema designer + SQL assistant, migration architect, observability…
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Public Builder skills for docs-first discipline, autonomous execution, cross-agent review, local-first Rewind memory, efficient agent workflows, clear status recaps, Agent-Native…
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60 Agent Skills spanning the agent lifecycle, building, diagnosis, SRE, security, review, QA, data, delivery, docs, and research.
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Complete CTO & Staff Engineer toolkit: 24 skills covering code review, architecture, DevOps, security, testing, and engineering management
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.
core-skills
Language-agnostic process skills covering spec-driven orchestration, error handling, testing strategy, code review, API design, concurrency, observability, Docker, project structure, and code style
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)
core-skills
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 core-skills publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of core-skills 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: core-skills · 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.