Comparison

Ref - Up-To-Date Docs vs GitHub

Ref - Up-To-Date Docs is an MCP server published by ref-tools. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). GitHub is an MCP server published by github. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-12. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.

Where each is published

Where each is published
Marketplace	Ref - Up-To-Date Docs	GitHub
Docker MCP Catalog	Listed Version: sha256:8b5fcfe3e4e1 Forks (GitHub): 71 Pulls (Docker Hub): 19 070 Stars (Docker Hub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 1 180 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11	Listed Version: sha256:ffced0d76e77 Forks (GitHub): 5 134 Stars (GitHub): 33 552 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11
Official MCP Registry	Not listed	Listed Version: 2.0.2 Forks (GitHub): 5 134 Stars (GitHub): 33 552 Not marked · First seen 2026-10-11

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

Ref - Up-To-Date Docs vs GitHub
Fact	Ref - Up-To-Date Docs	GitHub
Marketplaces that list it (differs)	1 (worse)	2 (better)
Stars (GitHub) (differs)	1 180 (worse)	33 552 (better)
Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs)	19 070	No figure on Docker Hub
Forks (GitHub) (differs)	71 (worse)	5 134 (better)
Last release	Not published	Not published
Where it runs (differs)	On your machine (mcp/ref-tools-mcp)	Remote server or your machine
Transport (differs)	stdio	Streamable HTTP, stdio
Tools it declares (differs)	2	40
Environment variables it asks for	1, secrets among them: 1	1, secrets among them: 1
Licence	MIT	MIT
Repository (differs)	github.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp	github.com/github/github-mcp-server
Changes in the last 7 days	0	0
First seen	2026-10-11	2026-10-11
Endpoint at the last check (differs)	no remote endpoint we check	not checked yet

Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.

What each says it does

Ref - Up-To-Date Docs

In its own words, on Docker MCP Catalog:

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.

GitHub

In its own words, on Official MCP Registry:

Connect AI assistants to GitHub - manage repos, issues, PRs, and workflows through natural language.

How to run each

Ref - Up-To-Date Docs As a local MCP server: Docker image

Claude Code

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-mcp

Requires: REF_API_KEY (secret)

GitHub As a local MCP server: Docker image

Claude Code

claude mcp add --env "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=<YOUR_GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN>" --transport stdio github-official -- docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

Requires: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN (secret)

Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.

Tools each declares

Only Ref - Up-To-Date Docs declares

ref_read_url
ref_search_documentation

Only GitHub declares

add_comment_to_pending_review
add_issue_comment
assign_copilot_to_issue
create_branch
create_or_update_file
create_pull_request
create_repository
delete_file
fork_repository
get_commit
get_file_contents
get_label

Show the remaining 28

get_latest_release
get_me
get_release_by_tag
get_tag
get_team_members
get_teams
issue_read
issue_write
list_branches
list_commits
list_issue_types
list_issues
list_pull_requests
list_releases
list_tags
merge_pull_request
pull_request_read
pull_request_review_write
push_files
request_copilot_review
search_code
search_issues
search_pull_requests
search_repositories
search_users
sub_issue_write
update_pull_request
update_pull_request_branch

Both declare

None

Tool names as each marketplace publishes them. More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.

Settings each asks for

Only Ref - Up-To-Date Docs asks for

REF_API_KEY (secret)

Only GitHub asks for

GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN (secret)

Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.

What it can do: Ref - Up-To-Date Docs · What it can do: GitHub · Compare two other plugins

Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on 2026-10-12. We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.