Refactoring MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes Martin Fowler's refactoring catalog to LLMs through a pluggable, language-agnostic architecture. Its 5 documented tools cluster into read & search, preview, apply, inspect. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People connecting coding agent tools to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in Python.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2025-11-29 · ★ 4 · #158 OF 194 MAINTAINED CODING AGENT · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

MIT · Python servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Refactoring MCP Server

before you install - you'll need

Set MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_COMMAND, MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_ENABLED before connecting.

Claude Code

claude mcp add marshally-mcp-refactoring -- uvx mcp-refactoring

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "marshally-mcp-refactoring": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-refactoring"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

pypi package mcp-refactoring - check the name against the project README before installing (PyPI has no namespace ownership)

registry namespace io.github.marshally is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Refactoring MCP Server can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can list available refactorings with their parameter contracts, get structural information about code, and analyze code for smells and suggest refactorings.

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Refactoring MCP Server lets an agent do.

read & search

1 tool - e.g. List available refactorings with their parameter contracts.

list_refactorings

Preview

1 tool - e.g. Preview what changes a refactoring would make (dry-run).

preview_refactoring

Apply

1 tool - e.g. Apply a refactoring to the codebase.

apply_refactoring

Inspect

1 tool - e.g. Get structural information about code.

inspect_structure

Analyze

1 tool - e.g. Analyze code for smells and suggest refactorings.

analyze_code

Latest releases

v0.1.2 · 2025-11-29

Added · CHANGELOG.md following Keep a Changelog format · AGENTS.md with instructions for AI coding agents · Documented automated GitHub Actions publishing workflow · server.json for MCP registry publishing · mcp-name…

v0.1.1 · 2025-11-29

Test release to verify automated PyPI publishing workflow.

04 · Who maintains Refactoring MCP Server

Refactoring MCP Server is maintained by marshally. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Nov 2025.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/marshally/mcp-refactoring
category: coding agent - ranked #158 of 194 actively-maintained coding agent servers as of 2026-08-25.
registry: io.github.marshally/mcp-refactoring (active, first published 2025-11-29)
packages: pypi:mcp-refactoring

06 · Refactoring MCP Server FAQ

Is Refactoring MCP Server still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2025-11-29. We re-verify nightly.

What can Refactoring MCP Server do?

With this server connected, an agent can list available refactorings with their parameter contracts, get structural information about code, and analyze code for smells and suggest refactorings.

How do I install Refactoring MCP Server?

Run `uvx mcp-refactoring`. The README documents 2 environment variables (MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_COMMAND, MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_ENABLED) to set first. Set MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_COMMAND, MCP_REFACTORING_PYTHON_ENABLED before connecting. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Refactoring MCP Server run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via uvx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Refactoring MCP Server

Alternatives to Refactoring MCP Server

Maintained coding agent servers if Refactoring MCP Server isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Refactoring MCP Server doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

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