MCP Server Reference
The Reftab MCP server lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT answer questions about your Reftab assets, software licenses, loans, and people using plain language.
Overview
You ask a question in your AI assistant; the assistant calls Reftab on your behalf and summarizes the result. The server is read-only: it can look up and summarize your Reftab data, but it cannot create, change, check in, or delete anything.
- Your own access. You sign in with your Reftab account, and the assistant only sees what your Reftab user can already see.
- One call, one answer. Summary tools (license spend, asset lifecycle, overdue loans) do the rollup in Reftab, so the assistant does not have to add up records itself.
- Works with MCP hosts. Any client that supports remote MCP servers with OAuth can connect, including Claude and ChatGPT.
Requires a Reftab account: If you can sign in to Reftab, you can connect. What the assistant can access depends on your Reftab permissions.
Connecting Your AI Assistant
Add Reftab as a remote MCP server (sometimes called a connector or custom connector) in your AI assistant, using this server URL:
https://mcp.reftab.com/mcp
- In your assistant, open the settings for connectors or MCP servers and add a new one.
- Enter the server URL above.
- When prompted, sign in with your Reftab account and approve access.
- Start a new conversation and ask a question about your Reftab data.
To confirm which Reftab user the connection is signed in as, use the get_profile tool:
// Check the connected account Who am I connected to Reftab as? → Jane Doe (jane.doe@company.com)
Security and Permissions
| Protection | How it works |
|---|---|
| Read-only | No tool can modify Reftab. Write requests are blocked at the HTTP layer, not just by tool naming. |
| Sign in with Reftab | Authentication uses OAuth 2.1. The assistant never sees your password, and no API keys are pasted into the chat. |
| Scoped access | Each tool requires specific read permissions (for example assets:read or licenses:read). A tool is refused if the connection was not granted its permission. |
| Your account only | Calls run as you, in your Reftab account. Data from other Reftab accounts is never reachable. |
| Short-lived tokens | Your sign-in token is exchanged for a short-lived Reftab API token. Your sign-in token is never forwarded to the Reftab API. |
| Rate limiting | Requests are limited per user and per IP address, and the number of requests running at once is capped. |
No Credentials in Tool Inputs: No tool accepts an API key or password as an argument. Credentials come only from your sign-in.
Available Tools
The server provides 24 tools. You do not call them directly: the assistant picks the right one for your question.
Assets
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
search_assets |
Search and filter assets. Returns the first 50 matches by default, with optional totals and group-by counts. | assets:read |
get_asset |
Get a single asset by its ID. | assets:read |
get_asset_history |
Full checkout and return history for one asset, newest first. Useful for audits and chain of custody. | loans:read |
get_asset_lifecycle_summary |
Refresh, warranty, lease, retirement, and inspection risk, plus available replacement stock in the same category. | assets:read, maintenance:read |
get_asset_health_summary |
Data quality audit: assets missing location, category, status, serial number, or purchase date, and assets with no recent activity. | assets:read |
analyze_aging_assets |
Assets older than a purchase-date cutoff, with replacement and retirement candidates. | assets:read, maintenance:read |
Loans and People
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
list_loans |
What is checked out: assets, licenses, accessories, and kits, with optional filters. | loans:read |
list_overdue_loans |
Loans past their due date, most overdue first, with days overdue and loanee details. | loans:read |
list_loanees |
Search people (loanees and users) by name or email. | borrowers:read |
get_person_summary |
One person’s profile, current loans, and open reservations. Useful for onboarding and offboarding. | borrowers:read, loans:read, reservations:read |
Locations, Categories, and Fields
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
list_locations |
Locations and sublocations in hierarchy order, with full paths. | locations:read |
list_categories |
Asset categories, searchable by name. | Metadata only |
list_fields |
Custom fields defined in your account. | Metadata only |
get_location_activity_summary |
Per-location totals, overdue loans, open and overdue maintenance, upcoming reservations, and an attention score. | locations:read, assets:read, loans:read, maintenance:read, reservations:read |
Maintenance and Reservations
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
list_maintenance |
Maintenance records. Filter by open, completed, overdue, due soon, or specific assets. | maintenance:read |
list_reservations |
Reservations, by default only open ones. Can show what is starting soon. | reservations:read |
Licenses and Applications
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
list_all_licenses |
Every license record across all pages, with a count-only option. | licenses:read |
get_license |
One license in full: seats, cost, expiration, application, vendor, and every asset assignment. | licenses:read |
get_license_seat_summary |
Seat utilization and spend across licenses, with totals, waste flags, and expiry flags. The authoritative source for total software cost. | licenses:read |
list_applications |
The software application catalog, filterable by category or status. | applications:read |
find_application_overlaps |
Categories with more than one application: possible duplicate or redundant tools. | applications:read |
Accessories and Kits
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
list_accessories |
Accessories with quantity, availability, type, and per-location breakdown. | accessories:read |
list_kits |
Kits (bundles of assets and accessories), their contents, and current loan. | kits:read |
Connection
| Tool | Description | Permissions |
|---|---|---|
get_profile |
Shows which Reftab user this connection is signed in as. | Sign-in only |
Metadata Access: Every data tool also reads your custom field definitions so that monetary custom fields display as currency instead of raw cents.
Example Prompts
Ask in everyday language. These examples show the kind of question each tool group answers:
// Lifecycle Analyze assets older than 4 years What is due for refresh in the next 90 days? // Licenses and spend What is our total annual software spend? Which licenses have unused seats? Where do we have overlapping applications? // Loans and people Who has overdue loans? What does jane.doe@company.com currently have checked out? // Data quality and operations Which assets are missing a serial number? Which locations need attention? Which maintenance is overdue?
Spend Questions: For totals, the assistant reports the figure from get_license_seat_summary along with how many licenses have recorded cost, so you can see how complete the number is.
Limits and Behavior
- Large lists are paged. Asset searches return 50 results by default and say when more exist. Ask for more or narrow the filter.
- Full scans are capped. Tools that read every record (for example
list_all_licenses) stop at a size budget and report that the result is partial instead of failing silently. - Concurrent requests are capped. If several heavy requests run at once you may see a “too many requests running” message. Retry in a moment.
- Only your account. The server only reaches the Reftab account you signed in to.
Read-Only: Requests to create, update, check in, or delete records cannot be completed through this server. Make those changes in Reftab.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to try |
|---|---|
| Sign-in prompt appears again | Your session expired or was revoked. Approve access again to reconnect. |
| Insufficient scope or a permission error | The connection was not granted the read permission that tool needs. Disconnect and reconnect, and approve all requested permissions. |
| Results look incomplete | Check whether the assistant mentioned paging or a size limit, and narrow the question (a location, category, or date range). |
| Wrong account | Ask “Who am I connected to Reftab as?” If it is the wrong user, disconnect and sign in again. |
| Too many requests | Wait a minute and try again, or ask a narrower question. |
Still stuck? Email help@reftab.com.
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