{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "modustoolbox-ai-assistant", "name": "ModusToolbox AI Assistant", "vendor": "Infineon", "vendorUrl": "https://www.infineon.com/modustoolbox", "kind": "mcp", "category": "code", "summary": "Infineon's VS Code extension for embedded development with ModusToolbox. It runs a local MCP server and writes device-specific instructions and skills into the workspace, so GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Windsurf generate code for the developer's Infineon board and libraries.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Infineon/modustoolbox-ai-assistant", "license": "Apache-2.0 per the extension manifest and the support repository. The implementation is maintained privately and its source is not published", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account or key for the extension or its MCP server, which runs on the developer's machine. It needs ModusToolbox 3.7 or later installed locally and the ModusToolbox for VS Code extension, installed as a dependency. The coding agent's own sign-in (Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf) is separate.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free on the VS Code Marketplace, with nothing to buy from Infineon for the extension. It depends on a local ModusToolbox 3.7 or later install; whether that download needs an Infineon account was not established.", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the extension manifest, the Marketplace README or the support repository (checked 2026-10-21). There is nothing to pay for.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 0, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-21" }, "docsUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=InfineonAG.modustoolbox-ai", "capabilities": [ "code.docs" ], "tags": [ "official", "local", "mcp", "vscode", "closed-source", "free", "no-card", "preview", "embedded", "new" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-28", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 40.7, "grade": "E", "agentReady": false, "rank": 1075, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1197, "categoryRank": 12, "methodology": "0.6", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 27, "maintenance": 44, "payments": 60, "reliability": 48, "schema": 20, "security": 50, "transparency": 38 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-21" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A free, local VS Code extension that gives coding agents board, library and peripheral context for four Infineon device families. Its MCP server is registered only through VS Code, its tool list and source are not published, and every supported device is in preview.", "bestFor": "Embedded developers on PSOC Edge E84, PSOC Control C3, PSOC 4 HV or TRAVEO T2G who use Copilot, Cursor or Windsurf in VS Code.", "strengths": [ "Free, with no account or key, and runs on the developer's machine", "Writes device-aware skills and instruction files for Copilot, Cursor and Windsurf, matched to the active board", "Public changelog and support repository, with same-day answers on the first three issues", "Infineon's PSIRT route and a valid security.txt" ], "weaknesses": [ "MCP tool names and schemas are not published, and the implementation source is private", "Preview at 0.6.0, and every supported device family is marked preview", "The MCP server registers through VS Code's API only, with no configuration documented for other clients", "Not on Open VSX and not in the official MCP registry" ], "agentNotes": [ "Expect this only inside VS Code, with ModusToolbox 3.7 or later, Python 3.9 or later and the ModusToolbox for VS Code extension installed.", "Read `.github/skills/mtb-*` and `.github/copilot-instructions.md` for board-specific guidance; they are plain Markdown any agent in the workspace can open.", "Run Reset MCP Cache or Generate AI Instructions when the guidance does not match the active board.", "Check the board is PSOC Edge E84, PSOC Control C3, PSOC 4 HV or TRAVEO T2G before relying on it; PSOC 6 and PSOC 4 are not supported yet." ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 2.3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "E", "methodology": "0.6", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 40.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 27, "maintenance": 44, "payments": 60, "reliability": 48, "schema": 20, "security": 50, "transparency": 29 }, "provenanceScore": 47, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-10-21", "maintenance": "2026-10-21", "payments": "2026-10-21", "reliability": "2026-10-21", "schema": "2026-10-21", "security": "2026-10-21", "transparency": "2026-10-21" }, "last": "2026-10-21", "oldest": "2026-10-21", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/code.docs", "tool": "https://letme.dev/modustoolbox-ai-assistant" }, "area": "developer", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "infineon.com", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Infineon/modustoolbox-ai-assistant/main/LICENSE", "privacy": "https://www.infineon.com/legal/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/Infineon/modustoolbox-ai-assistant/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-21", "notes": [ "The Marketplace publisher is InfineonAG. Infineon's imprint at https://www.infineon.com/legal/imprint was found in the sitemap, but its body could not be read, so no legal entity is recorded.", "www.infineon.com/.well-known/security.txt names PSIRT@infineon.com for product issues and expires on 11 September 2027. SECURITY.md points to Infineon's vulnerability notification process.", "Nothing is hosted for this product; the Apache-2.0 licence stands in for terms. The privacy policy link is Infineon's general policy, found in the sitemap (last modified 9 October 2026) and not read." ], "score": 47 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json" }, "answer": "Ref scores 59.4 (C) on agent readiness against ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ModusToolbox AI Assistant leads on payments \u0026 pricing.", "b": { "slug": "ref", "name": "Ref", "vendor": "Ref Software, Inc", "vendorUrl": "https://ref.tools", "kind": "mcp", "category": "code", "summary": "Ref Context is a hosted MCP server from Ref Software, Inc. Its two tools search public documentation and a user's private repositories and PDFs, then read a page as Markdown trimmed to the relevant sections.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ref.json", "repo": "https://github.com/ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp", "license": "Proprietary hosted service under Ref's terms of service. The stdio MCP server in ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp is MIT", "transports": [ "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "ref-tools-mcp" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "An account is required. The hosted endpoint takes an API key in the `x-ref-api-key` header, the same key as an `?apiKey=` query parameter, or OAuth when neither is sent. OAuth runs through Scalekit, and `/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/mcp` lists the scopes `public_docs:read` and `private_docs:read`. Keys come from ref.tools/keys after a browser sign-up with Google, GitHub or email. Teams have Admin, Writer and Reader roles, and SAML or OIDC single sign-on is a $200 a month add-on. The stdio package reads `REF_API_KEY`.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free: 200 one-time credits that never expire. Each `ref_search_documentation` or `ref_read_url` call costs one credit. Pro is $50 a month with 6,000 credits, Max $200 a month with 30,000, and extra credits cost $10 per 1,000 on Pro and above. Credits are shared with Ref Plans. The docs do not say whether sign-up needs a card (https://docs.ref.tools/usage/pricing, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$10 / 1k calls", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the pricing page or the MCP server source (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 2, "popularity": { "githubStars": 1179, "npmWeekly": 596, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.ref.tools", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.ref.tools/llms.txt", "registryName": "tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp", "capabilities": [ "code.docs", "web.fetch" ], "tags": [ "official", "mcp", "hosted", "local", "docs", "freemium", "oauth", "read-only", "llms-txt", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2025-11-04", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 59.4, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 617, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1197, "categoryRank": 7, "methodology": "0.6", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 50, "payments": 35, "reliability": 58, "schema": 68, "security": 64, "transparency": 68 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Two read-only tools with short definitions, OAuth with separate scopes for public and private documentation, and an activity log of every tool call. The API key may be passed in the URL query string, no rate limit or 429 guidance is documented, and the free allowance is 200 one-time credits.", "bestFor": "Coding agents that need current library documentation plus search over a team's private repositories and PDFs through two small tools.", "strengths": [ "Two tools, `ref_search_documentation` and `ref_read_url`, each with one required string and `readOnlyHint: true`", "OAuth at `https://api.ref.tools/mcp` advertises two scopes, `public_docs:read` and `private_docs:read`", "The activity log at ref.tools/activity records user identity, tool calls and arguments, per the security page", "Each tool call costs one credit, and extra credits cost $10 per 1,000 on Pro and above, on a public page", "The security page names 19 subprocessors with what each can see, and says model providers run under zero-data-retention terms" ], "weaknesses": [ "The install docs give `?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY` in the URL as a documented way to authenticate", "No rate limit, 429 handling or SLA was found in the reviewed documentation", "The free plan is 200 one-time credits, and an account needs a browser sign-up", "The `ref-tools-mcp` npm package was last published on 4 November 2025, and the changelog index stops at July 2026", "The terms of service forbid access \"through automated or non-human means\", which the MCP product itself requires" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send the key in the `x-ref-api-key` header, not the `?apiKey=` query parameter, so it stays out of URLs and logs", "Add `ref_src=private` to the `query` text to search private repositories and PDFs. Searches cover public documentation only by default", "Pass `ref_read_url` the exact URL from a search result. Reads return the sections most relevant to the session's searches, about 5,000 tokens at most per the README", "Keep one MCP session per task. Repeated similar searches in a session never return the same result twice, so refine the query to see more", "Treat tool errors as text. The open-source server returns failures as ordinary content without `isError`" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 4, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.6", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 59.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 67, "maintenance": 50, "payments": 35, "reliability": 58, "schema": 68, "security": 64, "transparency": 53 }, "provenanceScore": 82, "checked": { "categories": { "ergonomics": "2026-10-08", "maintenance": "2026-10-08", "payments": "2026-10-08", "reliability": "2026-10-08", "schema": "2026-10-08", "security": "2026-10-08", "transparency": "2026-10-08" }, "last": "2026-10-08", "oldest": "2026-10-08", "stale": false, "staleAfterDays": 90 } }, "connect": { "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http Ref https://api.ref.tools/mcp --header \"x-ref-api-key: \u003cYOUR_API_KEY\u003e\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "Ref": { "args": [ "ref-tools-mcp@latest" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "REF_API_KEY": "\u003cYOUR_API_KEY\u003e" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/code.docs", "tool": "https://letme.dev/ref" }, "area": "developer", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Additional credits, Pro and above", "unit": "1k-calls", "usd": 10, "note": "One credit per search or read call" }, { "item": "Pro plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 50, "note": "6,000 credits a month" }, { "item": "Max plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 200, "note": "30,000 credits a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Ref Software, Inc", "domain": "ref.tools", "domainRegistered": "2025-01-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://ref.tools/terms", "privacy": "https://ref.tools/privacy", "statusPage": "https://ref.tools/status", "changelog": "https://docs.ref.tools/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The terms of service name Ref Software, Inc, a Delaware corporation doing business as Ref and ref.tools, at 2261 Market Street, STE 86969, San Francisco, CA 94114.", "ref.tools is a single-page application. The terms, privacy policy and status page are drawn by script, and we read their text from the script files the pages load.", "The privacy policy is dated 27 May 2025 and defines the company only as Ref.", "ref.tools/.well-known/security.txt gives security@ref.tools and expires on 1 July 2027.", "RDAP for ref.tools gives a registration date of 2025-01-20.", "The changelog page is an index of monthly newsletters hosted on mailchi.mp. Its last entry is July 2026, though a 30 September 2026 update exists at mailchi.mp/ref/september2026." ], "score": 82 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref.json", "live": { "slug": "ref", "probe": { "target": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp", "method": "mcp-initialize", "lastAt": "2026-10-21T23:21:58.446995939Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 176, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 99.97, "p50ms24h": 178, "p95ms24h": 411, "samples24h": 250, "samples30d": 3306, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 50, "ok": 50 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 249, "ok": 249 }, { "date": "2026-10-15", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-16", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-17", "probes": 253, "ok": 253 }, { "date": "2026-10-18", "probes": 256, "ok": 256 }, { "date": "2026-10-19", "probes": 255, "ok": 254 }, { "date": "2026-10-20", "probes": 252, "ok": 252 }, { "date": "2026-10-21", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://ref.tools/status", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T22:26:22.008159893Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp", "version": "3.0.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-21T07:58:56.787644688Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "ref-tools-mcp", "version": "3.0.3", "seenAt": "2026-10-21T06:22:11.686405346Z" } ], "githubStars": 1183, "npmWeekly": 611, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://ref.tools/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "expires": "2027-07-01T00:00:00.000Z", "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T15:59:40.616070508Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.ref.tools/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T14:34:54.702110522Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "ref.tools", "registered": "2025-01-20", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/ref.tools", "checkedAt": "2026-10-18T13:32:37.01240803Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.ref.tools/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T00:47:24.518260149Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-19T23:57:14.54311679Z", "fingerprint": "5261ae23f5e8" }, { "url": "https://docs.ref.tools/usage/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T00:47:40.449107934Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-19T23:57:16.677854573Z", "fingerprint": "e7632db898f4" }, { "url": "https://ref.tools/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T00:54:51.593627873Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e3b0c44298fc" }, { "url": "https://ref.tools/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-21T00:54:53.599597382Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e3b0c44298fc" } ], "mcpTools": { "url": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp", "checkedAt": "2026-10-20T23:50:12.719737675Z", "status": "auth", "note": "asks for credentials before listing its tools", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T21:34:01.651226224Z" }, "github": { "repo": "ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp", "checkedAt": "2026-10-19T06:43:13.580861547Z", "stars": 1183, "archived": false, "issuesEnabled": true, "pushedAt": "2026-10-01T22:21:11Z", "openIssues": 5, "openPRs": 6, "issuesOpened90d": 2, "issuesClosed90d": 0, "prsMerged90d": 4, "replies": { "sampled": 14, "unanswered": 2, "medianDays": 0.1 } }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-21T23:21:58.446995939Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "MCP server", "b": "MCP server", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Infineon", "b": "Ref Software, Inc", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "https://api.ref.tools/mcp", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0 per the extension manifest and the support repository. The implementation is maintained privately and its source is not published", "b": "Proprietary hosted service under Ref's terms of service. The stdio MCP server in ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp is MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "none", "b": "2", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "not listed", "b": "tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-09-28", "b": "2025-11-04", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "0 stars", "b": "1.2k stars, 596 npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "2.3/5 (4)", "b": "3/5 (4)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Ref scores 59.4 (C) on agent readiness against ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ModusToolbox AI Assistant leads on payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, ModusToolbox AI Assistant or Ref?" }, { "answer": "ModusToolbox AI Assistant needs no key. Ref takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do ModusToolbox AI Assistant and Ref need an API key?" }, { "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for ModusToolbox AI Assistant. Ref has a hosted endpoint at https://api.ref.tools/mcp.", "question": "Can an agent call ModusToolbox AI Assistant and Ref without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 35" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Embedded developers on PSOC Edge E84, PSOC Control C3, PSOC 4 HV or TRAVEO T2G who use Copilot, Cursor or Windsurf in VS Code.", "slug": "modustoolbox-ai-assistant", "watchFor": "MCP tool names and schemas are not published, and the implementation source is private" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 58 against 48", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 68 against 20", "Agent ergonomics, 67 against 27", "Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 50", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 50 against 44", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 38" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install", "Runs on your own machine", "Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.0 against 2.3 out of 5" ], "goodFor": "Coding agents that need current library documentation plus search over a team's private repositories and PDFs through two small tools.", "slug": "ref", "watchFor": "The install docs give `?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY` in the URL as a documented way to authenticate" } ], "job": { "capability": "code.docs", "name": "Documentation lookup" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json", "title": "Context7 vs ModusToolbox AI Assistant", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-ref.json", "title": "Context7 vs Ref", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-ref" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json", "title": "Microsoft Learn MCP Server vs ModusToolbox AI Assistant", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-ref.json", "title": "Microsoft Learn MCP Server vs Ref", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-ref" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 10, "edge": "ref", "key": "reliability", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 48, "name": "Reliability", "ref": 58, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 48, "edge": "ref", "key": "schema", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 20, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "ref": 68, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "ref", "key": "ergonomics", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 27, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "ref": 67, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 14, "edge": "ref", "key": "security", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 50, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "ref": 64, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "modustoolbox-ai-assistant", "key": "payments", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "ref": 35, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "ref", "key": "maintenance", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 44, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "ref": 50, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 30, "edge": "ref", "key": "transparency", "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": 38, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "ref": 68, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Ref scores 59.4 (C) on agent readiness against ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ModusToolbox AI Assistant leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do documentation lookup.", "tutorials": [], "verdicts": { "modustoolbox-ai-assistant": "A free, local VS Code extension that gives coding agents board, library and peripheral context for four Infineon device families. Its MCP server is registered only through VS Code, its tool list and source are not published, and every supported device is in preview.", "ref": "Two read-only tools with short definitions, OAuth with separate scopes for public and private documentation, and an activity log of every tool call. The API key may be passed in the URL query string, no rate limit or 429 guidance is documented, and the free allowance is 200 one-time credits." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.md", "mcp": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.min.md" }, "markdown": "Ref scores 59.4 (C) on agent readiness against ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ModusToolbox AI Assistant leads on payments \u0026 pricing. Both do documentation lookup.\n\n- ModusToolbox AI Assistant: grade E, 40.7/100, rank #1075 of 1197. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json\n- Ref: grade C, 59.4/100, rank #617 of 1197. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/ref.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ref.json\n- Best code, repository and documentation tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/code/index.md\n- All 17 code comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/code/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### ModusToolbox AI Assistant (E)\n\nGood for: Embedded developers on PSOC Edge E84, PSOC Control C3, PSOC 4 HV or TRAVEO T2G who use Copilot, Cursor or Windsurf in VS Code.\n\nAhead on:\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 35\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: MCP tool names and schemas are not published, and the implementation source is private\n\n### Ref (C)\n\nGood for: Coding agents that need current library documentation plus search over a team's private repositories and PDFs through two small tools.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 58 against 48\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 68 against 20\n- Agent ergonomics, 67 against 27\n- Security \u0026 auth, 64 against 50\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 50 against 44\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 38\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n- Runs on your own machine\n- Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.0 against 2.3 out of 5\n\nWatch for: The install docs give `?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY` in the URL as a documented way to authenticate\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | ModusToolbox AI Assistant | Ref | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 48 | 58 | Ref +10 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 20 | 68 | Ref +48 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 27 | 67 | Ref +40 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 50 | 64 | Ref +14 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 35 | ModusToolbox AI Assistant +25 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 44 | 50 | Ref +6 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 38 | 68 | Ref +30 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **40.7 · E** | **59.4 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | ModusToolbox AI Assistant | Ref |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | MCP server | MCP server |\n| Vendor | Infineon | Ref Software, Inc |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.ref.tools/mcp` |\n| Transports | | Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | None | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 per the extension manifest and the support repository. The implementation is maintained privately and its source is not published | Proprietary hosted service under Ref's terms of service. The stdio MCP server in ref-tools/ref-tools-mcp is MIT |\n| Tools exposed | none | 2 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| MCP registry | not listed | `tools.ref/ref-tools-mcp` |\n| Last release | 2026-09-28 | 2025-11-04 |\n| Terms last updated | | couldn't be read |\n| Privacy policy last updated | | couldn't be read |\n| Customer content may train models | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | couldn't be read |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | couldn't be read |\n| Popularity | 0 stars | 1.2k stars, 596 npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 2.3/5 (4) | 3/5 (4) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**ModusToolbox AI Assistant.** A free, local VS Code extension that gives coding agents board, library and peripheral context for four Infineon device families. Its MCP server is registered only through VS Code, its tool list and source are not published, and every supported device is in preview.\n\n**Ref.** Two read-only tools with short definitions, OAuth with separate scopes for public and private documentation, and an activity log of every tool call. The API key may be passed in the URL query string, no rate limit or 429 guidance is documented, and the free allowance is 200 one-time credits.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### ModusToolbox AI Assistant\n\n1. Expect this only inside VS Code, with ModusToolbox 3.7 or later, Python 3.9 or later and the ModusToolbox for VS Code extension installed.\n2. Read `.github/skills/mtb-*` and `.github/copilot-instructions.md` for board-specific guidance; they are plain Markdown any agent in the workspace can open.\n3. Run Reset MCP Cache or Generate AI Instructions when the guidance does not match the active board.\n4. Check the board is PSOC Edge E84, PSOC Control C3, PSOC 4 HV or TRAVEO T2G before relying on it; PSOC 6 and PSOC 4 are not supported yet.\n\n### Ref\n\n1. Send the key in the `x-ref-api-key` header, not the `?apiKey=` query parameter, so it stays out of URLs and logs\n2. Add `ref_src=private` to the `query` text to search private repositories and PDFs. Searches cover public documentation only by default\n3. Pass `ref_read_url` the exact URL from a search result. Reads return the sections most relevant to the session's searches, about 5,000 tokens at most per the README\n4. Keep one MCP session per task. Repeated similar searches in a session never return the same result twice, so refine the query to see more\n5. Treat tool errors as text. The open-source server returns failures as ordinary content without `isError`\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, ModusToolbox AI Assistant or Ref?\n\nRef scores 59.4 (C) on agent readiness against ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ModusToolbox AI Assistant leads on payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Do ModusToolbox AI Assistant and Ref need an API key?\n\nModusToolbox AI Assistant needs no key. Ref takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call ModusToolbox AI Assistant and Ref without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for ModusToolbox AI Assistant. Ref has a hosted endpoint at https://api.ref.tools/mcp.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"modustoolbox-ai-assistant\", \"b\": \"ref\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare modustoolbox-ai-assistant ref`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/modustoolbox-ai-assistant.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/ref.json\n\n## Other comparisons with ModusToolbox AI Assistant or Ref\n\n- [Context7 vs ModusToolbox AI Assistant](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant.md)\n- [Context7 vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/context7-vs-ref.md)\n- [Microsoft Learn MCP Server vs ModusToolbox AI Assistant](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-modustoolbox-ai-assistant.md)\n- [Microsoft Learn MCP Server vs Ref](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-learn-mcp-vs-ref.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "attributionRequired": true, "credit": "CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link the page or API address you took it from (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-21", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.6", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "terms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "ModusToolbox AI Assistant vs Ref", "url": "" } ], "description": "Ref scores 59.4 (C) to ModusToolbox AI Assistant's 40.7 (E) for documentation lookup. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "ModusToolbox AI Assistant E 40.7", "Ref C 59.4", "scores" ], "h1": "ModusToolbox AI Assistant vs Ref", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref.png", "path": "/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "ModusToolbox AI Assistant vs Ref for AI agents (2026)", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-21", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/modustoolbox-ai-assistant-vs-ref" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2100, "slim": 830 }, "version": 1 }