# WebRef (paid) MCP server

Web standards and time reference for agents: HTTP codes, retries, deadlines. Paid via x402.

## At a glance

WebRef (paid) is an MCP server in the Docs & Knowledge category. It is hosted remotely and connects over HTTP, and declares no required credentials. It exposes 14 tools, including http_status, status_for_situation and retry_advice. It scores B (65/100) on the MCP Skills Hub health score as of Oct 28, 2026.

## Install

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Claude Code

1. Add the server

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http webref https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp
```

2. Verify it's connected

```bash
claude mcp list
```

3. Sharing it with your team?

   Add `--scope project` to write it to .mcp.json in the repository root, which you can commit (with the secrets left as environment variables).

4. Use it in a session

   Ask Claude to use the tools this server exposes (e.g. http_status, status_for_situation, retry_advice). It discovers them automatically.

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Claude Desktop

1. Open your MCP config

   macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this server

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webref": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

3. Why the wrapper?

   This is a remote (HTTP) server and Claude Desktop only launches local processes, so mcp-remote proxies the connection. It will open a browser window if the server needs OAuth.

4. Restart Claude Desktop

   The tools appear under the 🔌 menu once the app reloads.

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Cursor

1. Create / edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webref": {
      "url": "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

2. Enable it

   Cursor Settings → MCP → toggle the server on. Tools become available to the Composer/Agent.

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Codex CLI

1. Add to ~/.codex/config.toml

```toml
[mcp_servers.webref]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"]
```

2. Why the wrapper?

   Codex runs MCP servers as local processes, so mcp-remote bridges this HTTP endpoint to stdio.

3. Run Codex

   Codex loads MCP servers from config.toml on startup and exposes their tools to the agent.

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Windsurf

1. Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webref": {
      "serverUrl": "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

2. Reload

   Windsurf → Cascade → refresh MCP servers. Cascade can now call the tools.

### How to install WebRef (paid) in Cline

1. Open Cline → MCP Servers → Configure

   Adds to cline_mcp_settings.json.

2. Add the server

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "webref": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### How to install WebRef (paid) in VS Code

1. Create .vscode/mcp.json

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "webref": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://webref.johnaio281.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

2. Start it

   VS Code shows a ▶ Start action above the server entry. Agent mode (Copilot Chat) can then use the tools.

## Tools

- `http_status` — Look up an HTTP status code: what it means, what the client must do, whether it is retryable, whether it is safe to replay, the defining RFC and the common causes. ($0.003 per call)
- `status_for_situation` — Find the HTTP status code that matches a described situation, when the code is not known in advance — for example 'the caller is being rate limited' or 'upstream returned garbage'. ($0.005 per call)
- `retry_advice` — Decide how a client should react to a status code: retry with backoff, check the outcome before retrying, or do not retry. Includes a suggested backoff schedule. ($0.005 per call)
- `mime_type` — Look up a MIME type by full type or by file extension: the top-level type, what it is for, and the usual file extension. ($0.003 per call)
- `list_mime_types` — List or search MIME types by top-level type or by keyword, for example image types or anything to do with calendars. ($0.003 per call)
- `content_type_advice` — Check whether a Content-Type header matches what an endpoint kind expects, and say what to send instead when it does not. ($0.003 per call)
- `http_method` — Describe an HTTP method: whether it is safe, whether it is idempotent, whether it carries a body, and what it is for. ($0.003 per call)
- `time_until` — How much time is between two instants: the direction, the total in every unit, and a day/hour/minute/second breakdown. Use it to compute a retry delay, a rate-limit reset, or whether a deadline has passed. ($0.003 per call)
- `describe_instant` — Describe an instant: its date, weekday and time in UTC and in Tehran local time (UTC+03:30), plus the Unix timestamp. Use it when a response carries a timestamp and the local date matters. ($0.003 per call)
- `weekday_of` — Which day of the week a date falls on, and whether it is a business day. Use it before scheduling work or setting a deadline that lands on a weekend. ($0.003 per call)
- `business_days_between` — Count the business days between two dates, excluding weekends. Use it to turn a calendar deadline into a working-day deadline. Public holidays are not excluded, so the count is an upper bound. ($0.005 per call)
- `add_duration` — Add a duration to an instant and get the result, in UTC and in Tehran local time. Use it for a TTL, a lock expiry, or a token lifetime. ($0.003 per call)
- `convert_duration` — Convert a duration between units and get it in plain language. Use it to express a timeout in the unit the caller asked for, or to check whether a limit is seconds, minutes or milliseconds. ($0.003 per call)
- `unix_time` — Convert between a date and a Unix timestamp, in either direction. Use it when a payload carries one and the other is needed. ($0.003 per call)

Source repository: https://github.com/johnaio281/webref

---

Source: https://mcp-skills-hub.vercel.app/mcps/dev-workers-johnaio281-webref-webref · MCP Skills Hub · data as of 2026-10-28T12:31:05Z