referencesource-mcp

MCP server for referencesource.org — small, verified reference datasets where every record carries its source URL and a verbatim quote from that page, so any value an assistant gives you can be checked, not just believed.

~70 datasets, ~63,000 records: regulatory thresholds and deadlines, version compatibility, standards supersessions, certification registers, inspection requirements, and more. Each dataset states its coverage and its last-verified date.

Tools

| tool | what it does | |---|---| | list_datasets | every dataset with record counts and descriptions | | search_records | search within a dataset; each hit returns the value plus its source URL and verbatim source quote | | get_record | one record by id, full provenance included | | verify_quote | give it a URL and a claimed quote (optionally a value) — it fetches the page and reports whether the page actually says that. Works on any URL, not just ours. |

verify_quote is the unusual one: assistants invent plausible-but-wrong values roughly 19% of the time in our own measurements. This tool is the check — it reports "fetched / quote found on page / value present in quote", and says plainly when it could not fetch rather than guessing.

Setup

Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "referencesource": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "referencesource-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / other stdio MCP clients — same idea: command npx, args ["-y", "referencesource-mcp"].

Clients that support remote servers directly don't need this package at all — point them at the streamable-HTTP endpoint: https://referencesource.org/mcp.

Notes

• Zero dependencies; Node 18+. The package is a thin stdio→HTTPS bridge to the stateless server at referencesource.org/mcp.
• No accounts, no keys, no tracking beyond standard server request logs (see referencesource.org/privacy).
• Data is free to read on the site in HTML, Markdown, and JSON; this package just makes it callable mid-conversation.

MIT licensed.