Context7

Overview

Context7 is a service that provides LLMs with the latest library documentation. It prevents hallucinations from outdated training data or non-existent APIs, enabling retrieval of version-specific accurate documentation and code examples.

When to Use

Use this skill in the following cases:

1. Explicit instruction: When the user instructs "use context7" or "check the latest documentation"
2. Library usage questions: When asked about how to use a specific library's API, hooks, or functions
3. Code example requests: When asked for code examples using a specific library
4. Version-specific information: When library information for a specific version is needed
5. Uncertain API information: When your knowledge might be outdated and latest information verification is needed

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve Library ID

First, obtain the Context7 ID for the target library.

API call:

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/libs/search?libraryName=LIBRARY_NAME&query=CONTEXT_QUERY" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Example:

# Search for React library
curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/libs/search?libraryName=react&query=hooks" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Criteria for selecting from response:

• trustScore: Trust score (higher is better)
• totalSnippets: Number of available documents (more means richer information)
• versions: Verify that the required version is included

Step 2: Retrieve Documentation

Use the resolved library ID to retrieve specific documentation.

API call:

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/context?libraryId=LIBRARY_ID&query=SPECIFIC_QUERY" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Example:

# Retrieve information about React's useEffect
curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/context?libraryId=/facebook/react&query=useEffect cleanup function" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Query best practices:

• Use specific queries ("useEffect cleanup function" rather than "hooks")
• Be clear about the purpose ("authentication middleware", "form validation", etc.)

Step 3: Respond to User

Respond to the user's question based on the retrieved documentation.

Information to include in the response:

• Retrieved code examples
• API explanations
• Documentation source URLs (for reference)

Examples

Example 1: React Hook Usage

User: "How do I write a cleanup function with React's useEffect?"

Execution steps:

1. Library search: libraryName=react, query=useEffect cleanup
2. Documentation retrieval: libraryId=/facebook/react, query=useEffect cleanup function
3. Respond with the latest code examples and best practices

Example 2: Next.js Routing

User: "Use context7 to show me how to implement authentication middleware with Next.js App Router"

Execution steps:

1. Library search: libraryName=next.js, query=middleware authentication
2. Documentation retrieval: libraryId=/vercel/next.js, query=middleware authentication route protection
3. Respond with the latest App Router compatible middleware implementation

Example 3: Multiple Libraries Combination

User: "How to create a button component using TailwindCSS and shadcn/ui"

Execution steps:

1. Resolve IDs for each library
2. Retrieve documentation for both
3. Respond with a combined implementation example

Error Handling

Error	Solution
404 (Not Found)	Search again with a different library name (e.g., "nextjs" → "next.js")
429 (Rate Limit)	Wait a moment and retry
Empty response	Retry with a more general query

Resources

For detailed API specifications, see references/api_reference.md.

• Endpoint details
• Response field descriptions
• Rate limit information
• Error code list