| name | using-react-native-docs-mcp |
| description | How to effectively use the react-native-docs-mcp search and doc-retrieval tools instead of relying on training-data memory of React Native APIs. |
Using react-native-docs-mcp
When this MCP server is connected, prefer it over recalling React Native APIs from memory — training data goes stale, this tool indexes the live official docs.
Workflow
- Search first. Call
search_react_native_docs with a natural-language query before writing React Native code that touches an API you're not 100% certain about. Results include a relevance-ranked snippet and a url.
- Drill in only when needed. If the search snippet isn't enough, call
get_doc with the path from a search result. It returns a ~1500 char summary plus a structure outline by default — enough for most questions.
- Use
full: true sparingly. Pass full: true to get_doc only when the summary likely cuts off something you need — New Architecture migration guides, native-module walkthroughs, or anything with many sequential steps. Don't default to full for every call; it costs more context for no benefit on short reference pages.
- Search unfiltered by default. Most React Native docs pages live flat with no section; only
the-new-architecture, legacy, and releases are real sections. Use the section filter only when specifically targeting one of those areas.
- Pin docs to the user's actual version when it matters. If the project's installed
react-native version differs from latest and the question involves an API that may have changed across versions, note that the server can be started with --docs-version=X.YY to index that release's frozen docs snapshot — mention this to the user rather than silently assuming latest-version behavior applies to their older app.
- Refresh if docs seem stale. Call
update_docs to pull the latest commit before concluding an API doesn't exist.
