using-react-native-docs-mcp

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Refresh if docs seem stale. Call update_docs to pull the latest commit before concluding an API doesn't exist.