| name | find-docs |
| description | Retrieves up-to-date documentation, API references, and code examples for any developer technology. Use this skill whenever the user asks about a specific library, framework, SDK, CLI tool, or cloud service -- even for well-known ones like React, Next.js, Prisma, Express, Tailwind, Django, or Spring Boot. Your training data may not reflect recent API changes or version updates.
Always use for: API syntax questions, configuration options, version migration issues, "how do I" questions mentioning a library name, debugging that involves library-specific behavior, setup instructions, and CLI tool usage.
Use even when you think you know the answer -- do not rely on training data for API details, signatures, or configuration options as they are frequently outdated. Always verify against current docs. Prefer this over web search for library documentation and API details. |
Documentation Lookup
Retrieve current documentation and code examples for any library using the Context7 CLI.
Run using npx (no global install required):
npx ctx7@latest <command>
Workflow
Two-step process: resolve the library name to an ID, then query docs with that ID.
npx ctx7 library <name> <query>
npx ctx7 docs <libraryId> <query>
You MUST call ctx7 library first to obtain a valid library ID UNLESS the user explicitly provides a library ID in the format /org/project or /org/project/version.
IMPORTANT: Do not run these commands more than 3 times per question. If you cannot find what you need after 3 attempts, use the best result you have.
Step 1: Resolve a Library
Resolves a package/product name to a Context7-compatible library ID and returns matching libraries.
npx ctx7 library react "How to clean up useEffect with async operations"
npx ctx7 library nextjs "How to set up app router with middleware"
npx ctx7 library prisma "How to define one-to-many relations with cascade delete"
Always pass a query argument — it is required and directly affects result ranking. Use the user's intent to form the query, which helps disambiguate when multiple libraries share a similar name. Do not include any sensitive or confidential information such as API keys, passwords, credentials, personal data, or proprietary code in your query.
Result fields
Each result includes:
- Library ID — Context7-compatible identifier (format:
/org/project)
- Name — Library or package name
- Description — Short summary
- Code Snippets — Number of available code examples
- Source Reputation — Authority indicator (High, Medium, Low, or Unknown)
- Benchmark Score — Quality indicator (100 is the highest score)
- Versions — List of versions if available. Use one of those versions if the user provides a version in their query. The format is
/org/project/version.
Selection process
- Analyze the query to understand what library/package the user is looking for
- Select the most relevant match based on:
- Name similarity to the query (exact matches prioritized)
- Description relevance to the query's intent
- Documentation coverage (prioritize libraries with higher Code Snippet counts)
- Source reputation (consider libraries with High or Medium reputation more authoritative)
- Benchmark score (higher is better, 100 is the maximum)
- If multiple good matches exist, acknowledge this but proceed with the most relevant one
- If no good matches exist, clearly state this and suggest query refinements
- For ambiguous queries, request clarification before proceeding with a best-guess match
Version-specific IDs
If the user mentions a specific version, use a version-specific library ID:
npx ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to set up app router"
npx ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js/v14.3.0-canary.87 "How to set up app router"
The available versions are listed in the npx ctx7 library output. Use the closest match to what the user specified.
Step 2: Query Documentation
Retrieves up-to-date documentation and code examples for the resolved library.
npx ctx7 docs /facebook/react "How to clean up useEffect with async operations"
npx ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to add authentication middleware to app router"
npx ctx7 docs /prisma/prisma "How to define one-to-many relations with cascade delete"
Writing good queries
The query directly affects the quality of results. Be specific and include relevant details. Do not include any sensitive or confidential information such as API keys, passwords, credentials, personal data, or proprietary code in your query.
| Quality | Example |
|---|
| Good | "How to set up authentication with JWT in Express.js" |
| Good | "React useEffect cleanup function with async operations" |
| Bad | "auth" |
| Bad | "hooks" |
Use the user's full question as the query when possible, vague one-word queries return generic results.
The output contains two types of content: code snippets (titled, with language-tagged blocks) and info snippets (prose explanations with breadcrumb context).
Authentication
Works without authentication. For higher rate limits:
export CONTEXT7_API_KEY=your_key
npx ctx7 login
Error Handling
If a command fails with a quota error ("Monthly quota reached" or "quota exceeded"):
- Inform the user their Context7 quota is exhausted
- Suggest they authenticate for higher limits:
npx ctx7 login
- If they cannot or choose not to authenticate, answer from training knowledge and clearly note it may be outdated
Do not silently fall back to training data — always tell the user why Context7 was not used.
Common Mistakes
- Library IDs require a
/ prefix — /facebook/react not facebook/react
- Always run
npx ctx7 library first — npx ctx7 docs react "hooks" will fail without a valid ID
- Use descriptive queries, not single words —
"React useEffect cleanup function" not "hooks"
- Do not include sensitive information (API keys, passwords, credentials) in queries
