# MCP reference servers review

> MCP reference servers is a collection of reference Model Context Protocol server implementations maintained by the MCP steering group.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/mcp-servers/

## TL;DR

MCP reference servers is a small set of example Model Context Protocol servers, including Filesystem, Git, Fetch, Memory and Time. The servers are educational examples for developers building their own MCP servers. They demonstrate MCP features and SDK usage and are not intended as production-ready solutions.

## MCP reference servers at a glance

- **Category:** [MCP and agent tools](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/mcp-servers/)
- **Maintained by:** Model Context Protocol (organization, [@modelcontextprotocol](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol) on GitHub)
- **Language:** TypeScript, JavaScript, Python
- **Repository:** [github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers)
- **Website:** [modelcontextprotocol.io](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
- **npm package:** [@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem) 2.0.0
- **npm package:** [@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking) 2.0.0
- **Latest release:** [v2.0.0](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/releases/tag/v2.0.0) on GitHub, Oct 19, 2026
- **First published:** Nov 19, 2024

## What MCP reference servers does

- The Filesystem server provides file operations with configurable access controls.
- The Git server provides tools to read, search, and manipulate Git repositories.
- The Fetch server fetches web content and converts it for LLM use.
- The Memory server provides persistent memory based on a knowledge graph.
- The Time server provides time and timezone conversion.
- The Sequential Thinking server supports problem-solving through thought sequences.
- The Everything server is a reference and test server with prompts, resources, and tools.

### How it works

MCP reference servers are typically built with an MCP SDK. TypeScript servers run with npx, and Python servers run with uvx or pip. Running a server on its own isn't very useful. Instead, you configure it in an MCP client such as Claude Desktop through an mcpServers JSON entry that gives the command and arguments.

## How to install MCP reference servers

**Memory server with npx**

```
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
```

**Git server with uvx**

```
uvx mcp-server-git
```

**Git server with pip**

```
pip install mcp-server-git
```

### Requirements

- Node.js 24 or later for the Filesystem and Sequential Thinking npm packages.
- uv/uvx or pip for the Python-based servers.
- An MCP client to make practical use of a server.

### First steps

1. Install uv/uvx for Python servers, or use npx for TypeScript servers.
2. Add the server to your MCP client's mcpServers configuration, such as Claude Desktop, with its command and args.
3. On Windows, wrap npx entries with "cmd" and "/c". Leave uvx entries unchanged.
4. Pass server arguments where needed, such as allowed file paths for Filesystem or --repository for Git.

## Who MCP reference servers is for

- Developers learning how to build their own MCP servers with the official SDKs.
- Testing MCP clients against a reference server with prompts, resources, and tools.
- Giving an MCP client local file, Git, fetch, memory, or time tools for experimentation.

### Limitations

- MCP reference servers are educational examples, not production-ready. You must evaluate security and add your own safeguards.
- The repository holds only a small number of reference servers. For a broad list of servers, use the MCP Registry.
- Several servers have been archived and moved to servers-archived, including GitHub, PostgreSQL, Slack, and SQLite.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #97 overall, #10 in MCP and agent tools, momentum score 64
- Downloads that week: 1.4M (+112% vs 4-week average)
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 276; Aug 16: 229; Aug 23: 209; Aug 30: 183; Sep 6: 217; Sep 13: 227; Sep 20: 180; Sep 27: 424; Oct 4: 220; Oct 11: 248; Oct 18: 252; Oct 25: 203

## MCP reference servers alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [REA](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/morluto-rea/) | 415.5k | 760.6k |
| #2 | [ha-mcp](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/homeassistant-ai-ha-mcp/) | 5.4k | 118.1k |
| #3 | [Treg](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/superdesigndev-treg/) | 6.9k | 6.7k |
| #4 | [Chrome DevTools MCP](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/chrome-devtools-mcp/) | 54.6k | 2.7M |
| #5 | [codebase-memory-mcp](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/deusdata-codebase-memory-mcp/) | 47.9k | – |
| #6 | [open-computer-use](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/ifuryst-open-computer-use/) | 2.8k | – |

## MCP reference servers FAQ

### Is MCP reference servers free and open source?

MCP reference servers's code is on GitHub (modelcontextprotocol/servers), but the repository doesn't declare a standard open-source license. Check its license file before using it commercially.

### How do I install MCP reference servers?

Run `npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory`. It needs Node.js >=24. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is MCP reference servers still maintained?

Yes. The modelcontextprotocol/servers repository was last updated on Oct 19, 2026, and the latest release, v2.0.0 on GitHub, came out on Oct 19, 2026.

### How popular is MCP reference servers?

MCP reference servers has 91.7k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 203 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 239 a week. Its main package had about 1.4M downloads that week, +112% against its own 4-week average. That made it #10 among MCP servers and agent tools on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### What are the best alternatives to MCP reference servers?

Other MCP servers and agent tools on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: REA (#1), ha-mcp (#2), Treg (#3), Chrome DevTools MCP (#4), codebase-memory-mcp (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### Are the MCP reference servers production-ready?

No. The MCP reference servers are intended as reference implementations and educational examples. They are not production-ready solutions. Developers should evaluate their own security requirements and implement safeguards that fit their threat model.

### What changed in the MCP reference servers v2.0.0 release?

MCP reference servers v2.0.0 refactored all servers to support the modern era spec. The servers still answer legacy era clients as expected. v1.0.0 was the final legacy era release and included many bug and security fixes.

### Where did the GitHub, Slack, and PostgreSQL MCP servers go?

These servers are archived in the servers-archived repository. Slack is now maintained by Zencoder. Brave Search was replaced by Brave's official server, @brave/brave-search-mcp-server.

### How do I use an MCP reference server with Claude Desktop?

Add an entry under mcpServers in the Claude Desktop configuration. For example, set command to "npx" and args to ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]. On Windows, use "cmd" with "/c" prepended to the args.

## Sources

1. [modelcontextprotocol/servers on GitHub](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers)
2. [MCP reference servers README](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/blob/main/README.md)
3. [@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem)
4. [@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking)
5. [MCP reference servers website](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
6. [Release v2.0.0 (Oct 19, 2026)](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/releases/tag/v2.0.0)
7. [Release v1.0.0 (Oct 11, 2026)](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/releases/tag/v1.0.0)
8. [Release 2026.8.31 (Aug 31, 2026)](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/releases/tag/2026.8.31)
9. [Hacker News: Zero-Touch OAuth for MCP](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48592163)
10. [Hacker News: New MCP Roadmap](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49399591)
11. [Hacker News: MCP Specification – version 2025-06-18 changes](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44314289)
12. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)