Hive Barter vs Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP
A side-by-side look at the Hive Barter and Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Hive Barter for finance & fintech work; choose Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP for finance & fintech as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Hive Barter when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Finance & Fintech domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
PRIVATE_KEY. - You want tools like
barter_discover, barter_quote_curve, barter_arbitrage_book.
Choose Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Finance & Fintech domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
REF_API_KEY. - You want tools like
query, url.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Finance & Fintech | Finance & Fintech |
| Quality signal | 41/100 · Fair | 63/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | PRIVATE_KEY | REF_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 1,183 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | 2 |
| Full listing | View Hive Barter | View Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Hive Barter tools 3
barter_discoverList 402-enabled MCP endpoints from a public registry (glama, smithery, mcp.so) with last-seen asking prices.barter_quote_curveBuild a demand curve for a target by sending up to 5 probes at descending floor pcts. Returns the reservation-price estimate.barter_arbitrage_bookToday's P&L: probes sent, counters accepted, USDC realized spread.
Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP tools 2
queryurl
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Hive Barter
No confirmed install command for Hive Barter yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"ref-tools-mcp@latest"
],
"env": {
"REF_API_KEY": "YOUR_REF_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Hive Barter is categorized under Finance & Fintech and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP belongs to Finance & Fintech and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Hive Barter for finance & fintech work and Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP for finance & fintech.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Hive Barter has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Hive Barter has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add hive-barter and ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Hive Barter has a quality signal of 41/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP has 63/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1,183 GitHub stars.