Introducing Reftab’s MCP Server
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You can now connect Reftab to ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI assistants to ask questions about your assets, software licenses, maintenance records, and more.
If you manage IT assets, software licenses, or equipment maintenance, you’ve probably had to answer questions like: Which laptops are due for replacement next year? What software is renewing next month, and how much is it going to cost? Which equipment is overdue for maintenance?
The information is usually already in Reftab, but getting the answers you need can still take some work. You might have to run a few reports, filter through records, export data to Excel, or use the API to pull everything together.
With Reftab’s new MCP Server, there’s now another way to get those answers. You can simply ask ChatGPT or Claude.
What Is an MCP Server?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It’s an open standard that allows AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude to securely connect with other applications.
In simple terms, it means you can ask questions about your Reftab data in plain English and have your AI assistant retrieve the information directly from your account.
Reftab already provides reporting, filtering, and API capabilities. The MCP Server adds another way to access that information, without needing to know exactly which report to run or how to structure an API request.
What Can You Do With It?
Here are a few examples of how IT, maintenance, and AV teams can put the MCP Server to work.
Plan for Upcoming Software Renewals
Managing software licenses across different vendors can make it difficult to keep track of what’s renewing and when, especially when each application has its own renewal date and cost.
Simply ask:
“Which software licenses are up for renewal next month, and how much will those renewals cost?”
You can follow up with questions like:
- “What’s the total cost of those renewals?”
- “Which are our most expensive renewals over the next 90 days?”
Reftab can retrieve your recorded license information so you can get a better picture of upcoming expenses without manually reviewing each license.
Identify Equipment That Needs Replacing
Planning hardware replacements often means looking at purchase dates, warranty information, and which devices are still actively assigned to employees.
Try asking:
“Which laptops are more than four years old?”
Then follow up with:
“Of those laptops, which are still assigned to employees? Break them down by location.”
Instead of building a new report every time you need to narrow down the information, you can continue asking questions until you have what you need.
Stay on Top of Equipment Maintenance
If you’re managing equipment across multiple offices, job sites, classrooms, or AV facilities, keeping track of outstanding maintenance can quickly become time-consuming.
Ask:
“Show me all overdue maintenance tasks across our locations.”
Then:
“Which locations have the most overdue tasks?”
Whether you’re responsible for hundreds of laptops or equipment that needs regular servicing, you can quickly identify where attention is needed.
Find Out Who Has Your Equipment
An employee is leaving the company, or someone needs a camera, projector, or other piece of shared equipment.
Instead of searching through individual records, ask:
“What equipment is currently checked out to John Smith?”
Or:
“Which equipment loans are overdue?”
It’s a straightforward way to get answers about assigned equipment, outstanding loans, and asset availability.
Ask Follow-Up Questions, Not Just One-Off Queries
One of the most useful things about connecting Reftab to an AI assistant is that you’re not limited to a single question.
For example, you could start by asking which laptops are out of warranty, then ask how many are still in use, and finally request a breakdown by department or location.
You don’t need to start over or know how to build a complex report. You can continue the conversation and explore your data as questions come up.
How to Connect Reftab to ChatGPT or Claude
Getting started is straightforward. Reftab’s MCP Server can connect to supported AI assistants using the following server URL:
Follow one of our setup guides to get connected:
Once connected, you can start asking questions about your Reftab data directly from your AI assistant.
Security and permissions: Reftab’s MCP Server is read-only and respects your existing Reftab user permissions. AI assistants can retrieve information you’re authorized to access, but cannot modify or delete your records through the MCP Server.
Give It a Try
Whether you’re managing IT assets, software licenses, maintenance schedules, or shared AV equipment, our goal is to make the information you’re already tracking in Reftab easier to access and use.
We’re excited to see how people put the MCP Server to work. If you give it a try, let us know what questions you’re asking and what else you’d like it to support.
Michael Caslowitz
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