Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP vs SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway

A side-by-side look at the Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP and SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP logoRef Tools Ref Tools MCPFinance & Fintech · Local subprocess (stdio)Provide your AI coding tools with token-efficient access to up-to-date technical documentation for…63GoodAuth: not declared
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SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 GatewayFinance & Fintech · Remote HTTP/SSE
Remote MCP gateway for SCRIPTMASTERLABS x402-paid tools and agent-native API access on Base, with free capability discovery and pay-per-use execution.77GreatAuth: no auth required

Verdict: choose Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP for finance & fintech work as a local process; choose SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway for finance & fintech over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP logoChoose 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.
Explore Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP

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Choose SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Finance & Fintech domain.
  • You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
  • You want tools like sml_discover, sml_status, x402_contract.
Explore SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecRef Tools Ref Tools MCP logoRef Tools Ref Tools MCP
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SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway
CategoryFinance & FintechFinance & Fintech
Quality signal63/100 · Good77/100 · Great
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Remote HTTP/SSE
AuthNot declaredNo auth required
PricingNot declaredFreemium
Required env varsREF_API_KEYNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listing Verified
GitHub stars1,183—
Directory activity 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools23

Tools & capabilities

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP tools 2

  • query
  • url

SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway tools 3

  • sml_discoverFind the x402 Gateway contract and where to inspect fresh payment requirements. FREE.
  • sml_statusCheck the public x402 Gateway identity and canonical payment rail. FREE.
  • x402_contractInspect the canonical x402 payment contract. Returns network, USDC asset, payTo, headers, and the rule for resolving fresh target requirements. FREE.

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.

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "ref-tools-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REF_API_KEY": "YOUR_REF_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scriptmasterlabs-x402-gateway": {
      "url": "https://mcp-x402.onrender.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP is categorized under Finance & Fintech and uses a local stdio subprocess. SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway belongs to Finance & Fintech and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP for finance & fintech work and SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway 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.

Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: no auth required. 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 ref-tools-ref-tools-mcp and scriptmasterlabs-x402-gateway as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Ref Tools Ref Tools MCP has a quality signal of 63/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1,183 GitHub stars. SCRIPTMASTERLABS — x402 Gateway has 77/100 (Great) with 4 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.