Context7 Docs - Library Documentation

Fetch up-to-date library documentation via the Context7 MCP server. Use this skill when you need to research any npm library, framework, or tool.

Quick Reference

Action	Command	Description
search	./scripts/docs.sh search <library>	Find library ID for a given name
docs	./scripts/docs.sh docs <library> [topic] [--tokens N]	Get documentation for a library
help	./scripts/docs.sh help	Show usage help

How to Use

Natural Language

• "Get React hooks documentation"
• "Search for Next.js App Router docs"
• "Find Vue 3 composition API documentation"
• "Look up Tailwind CSS utilities"

Script Commands

# Search for a library
./scripts/docs.sh search react
./scripts/docs.sh search "next.js"

# Get documentation (automatically resolves library ID)
./scripts/docs.sh docs react hooks
./scripts/docs.sh docs next.js "app router"
./scripts/docs.sh docs tailwindcss utilities

# Get general documentation without topic filter
./scripts/docs.sh docs vue

Available Actions

search

Find the Context7-compatible library ID for a given library name.

Parameters:

• library (required): Library name to search for (e.g., "react", "next.js")

Example:

./scripts/docs.sh search react
# Returns: /npm/react, /websites/react_dev, etc.

docs

Get documentation for a library, optionally filtered by topic.

Parameters:

• library (required): Library name (will be resolved to ID automatically)
• topic (optional): Topic to filter documentation (e.g., "hooks", "routing")

Example:

# Get React hooks documentation
./scripts/docs.sh docs react hooks

# Get general Next.js documentation
./scripts/docs.sh docs next.js

# Get specific Vue documentation
./scripts/docs.sh docs vue "composition api"

Workflow

This skill encodes the Context7 two-step workflow:

1. Resolve Library ID: Converts human-readable library name to Context7 ID
2. Fetch Documentation: Gets documentation using the resolved ID

This is handled automatically by the docs action.

Supported Libraries

Context7 supports thousands of libraries including:

• Frontend: React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Solid
• Meta-frameworks: Next.js, Nuxt, Remix, Astro, SvelteKit
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, styled-components, Emotion
• State: Redux, Zustand, Jotai, Pinia
• Backend: Express, Fastify, Hono, Nest.js
• Databases: Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, Mongoose
• Testing: Jest, Vitest, Playwright, Cypress
• And many more...

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ installed
• curl installed
• Option A: Install MCPorter via Homebrew: brew tap steipete/tap && brew install mcporter
• Option B: Use via npx (no install required): npx mcporter

Note: Context7 server configuration is optional. The skill automatically falls back to the Context7 public URL (https://mcp.context7.com/mcp) if no local server is configured.

Environment Variables

• CONTEXT7_SERVER: MCP server name (default: context7)
• CONTEXT7_API_KEY: API key for higher rate limits (free at context7.com/dashboard)
• CONTEXT7_API_BASE: Direct Context7 REST base URL (default: https://context7.com/api/v2)
• CONTEXT7_REST_FALLBACK: Enable direct REST fallback when MCP calls fail (default: 1)
• MCPORTER_TIMEOUT: Timeout in seconds for MCPorter calls (default: 20)

Transport Chain

The script tries these in order, falling back on failure:

1. ctx7 CLI — npx ctx7 library/docs (simplest, no MCPorter needed)
2. MCPorter → MCP — configured local server or Context7 public URL
3. Direct REST — curl to context7.com/api/v2

Tips

• Use a direct library ID to skip the search step: ./scripts/docs.sh docs /vercel/next.js "app router"
• Mention a version in your query for version-specific docs: ./scripts/docs.sh docs react "hooks in React 18"

Notes

• Use this skill BEFORE searching external documentation
• Topic filtering helps reduce context size - use specific topics when possible
• Use --tokens N to control response size when context budget is tight
• If a library isn't found, try alternative names (e.g., "nextjs" vs "next.js")
• For generic MCP access, use the mcporter skill instead
• Falls back to Context7 public MCP URL when server not configured locally
• If MCP calls fail (including quota exhaustion), falls back to direct Context7 REST API when enabled