live-docs

name	live-docs
description	Use before writing/reviewing code that calls into any external library, API, or framework. Training data goes stale — fetch version-specific docs before writing. Identify the exact installed version from package.json/Cargo.toml first, then fetch matching docs.

Live Documentation Lookup

Training data goes stale. APIs change. Before writing code that depends on any external library, fetch the current docs.

Step 1 — Identify installed versions

Read(file_path: "/absolute/path/to/package.json")

For lock file details:

grep -A 2 '"<package>"' package-lock.json

For Rust crates:

grep -A 2 'name = "<crate>"' Cargo.lock

The version number matters. The same library at v1 and v2 can have completely different APIs.

Step 2 — Find the right docs

Ecosystem	Doc location
npm (JS/TS)	npmjs.com/package/<n> linked docs
crates.io (Rust)	docs.rs/<n>/<version>/

For version-pinned docs:

• docs.rs/<crate>/<version>/ — Rust, always version-pinned
• GitHub releases: github.com/<org>/<repo>/releases
• GitHub tags: github.com/<org>/<repo>/tree/v<version>

Step 3 — Fetch before you write

Search specifically — include library name, version, and the exact API:

expo-file-system 55 Directory API
react-native-reanimated 4.x useAnimatedStyle
@tanstack/react-query 5 useMutation options

What to look for

• Function/method signatures — params, types, order, required vs optional
• Return types — especially async or error-returning APIs
• Breaking changes since the version you know
• Required setup — imports, initialization, config
• Deprecations — old way may compile but new way is correct

Step 4 — Apply what you found

1. Use exact signatures from docs — don't guess missing params
2. Match the installed version — don't write against a different version's API
3. Check required setup steps
4. Flag outdated versions if significantly behind

High-churn categories — always fetch

• AI/LLM SDKs (OpenAI, Anthropic)
• Mobile platform APIs (Expo, iOS, Android)
• React Native libraries (Reanimated, Gesture Handler, Flash List)
• Any library after a major version bump

When docs are unavailable

1. GitHub README, releases, source code
2. Read type signatures from node_modules or the repo directly
3. If unverifiable — tell the user, leave a TODO comment