Up-to-date, version-specific library documentation and working code examples sourced from real project repos via the Context7 documentation aggregation API — covers 1000+ libraries (React, Next.js, Vue, Kubernetes, Go, Python, TypeScript, Prisma, Tailwind, and more). USE WHEN looking up API signatures, framework docs, version-specific behavior, code examples, library configuration, migration guides, OR before writing code against a library you might be guessing about. NOT FOR refactoring existing code, debugging business logic, general programming concepts, or libraries Context7 doesn't index (use web search instead). Grounds answers in real source documentation to prevent hallucinated APIs.
Up-to-date, version-specific library documentation and working code examples sourced from real project repos via the Context7 documentation aggregation API — covers 1000+ libraries (React, Next.js, Vue, Kubernetes, Go, Python, TypeScript, Prisma, Tailwind, and more). USE WHEN looking up API signatures, framework docs, version-specific behavior, code examples, library configuration, migration guides, OR before writing code against a library you might be guessing about. NOT FOR refactoring existing code, debugging business logic, general programming concepts, or libraries Context7 doesn't index (use web search instead). Grounds answers in real source documentation to prevent hallucinated APIs.
Context7
Query up-to-date, version-specific documentation and code examples directly from source libraries via Context7's documentation aggregation platform.
Why Context7
Benefit
Description
Current APIs
No hallucinated or outdated patterns - documentation comes from actual sources
Version-Specific
Gets docs for exact library versions you're using
Code Examples
Real, working code extracted from actual documentation
Broad Coverage
1000+ libraries including React, Next.js, Vue, Go, Python, Kubernetes, etc.
Setup
# Install dependenciescd ~/.claude/skills/context7/Tools
bun install
# Optional: link binaries globally so c7-lookup / c7-resolve / c7-query are on PATH
bun link# Optional: API key for higher rate limitsexport CONTEXT7_API_KEY=
"ctx7sk_your_key_here"
# context7.com/dashboard
Available CLI Tools
Tool
Purpose
Short form (after bun link)
Long form
lookup
Resolve + query in one shot
c7-lookup <library> <query>
bun src/cli/lookup.ts <library> <query>
resolve
Find Context7 library ID
c7-resolve <library> [query]
bun src/cli/resolve.ts <library> [query]
query
Query docs by known ID
c7-query <library_id> <query>
bun src/cli/query.ts <library_id> <query>
CLI Flags
All three CLIs accept the same flag set.
Flag
Effect
--json
Emit JSON on stdout; suppress decorative output. Pipe to jq.
--quiet, -q
Suppress info/success logs (warn/error still print to stderr).
--no-cache
Skip the 24h disk cache (~/.cache/context7/resolved.json) for this call.
"help me with [library]", "how do I use [feature]"
Workflows/FullLookup.md
Gotchas
These are real Context7 API behaviors that bite if you don't know about them. Add to this list whenever a query goes wrong in a way that wasn't already documented.
Library ID requires a leading slash./facebook/react works; facebook/react fails with a cryptic "library not found." The error doesn't tell you the slash is missing.
The resolver is fuzzy and ranked, not deterministic.resolve.ts <name> returns multiple candidates ordered by an LLM-powered ranker that takes your optional context query into account. A narrow context can promote a less-canonical fork above the official repo. Always inspect the top match before passing the ID to query.ts.
Version pinning matters at major boundaries. Library IDs may include a version segment: /vercel/next.js/14.2.0. The bare ID resolves to whatever Context7 currently treats as "latest stable," which can lag behind real releases — asking about Next.js "app router" without a pin can return Next 13 docs. Pin the version when the framework changed shape across majors.
Public rate limits are tight. Without CONTEXT7_API_KEY, you'll hit limits in fewer queries than you expect. The "max 3 calls per question" tip in this skill is a defensive ceiling on Claude's behavior — it is not the real API budget. Set the API key from context7.com/dashboard for any sustained use.
Snippet truncation is silent. Long doc pages return excerpts, not full content. If a returned example references a function or symbol the snippet didn't define, do NOT guess what it does — re-query with a tighter, more specific question rather than fabricating the missing piece.
The known-IDs cache can go stale. Common libraries (react, next.js, kubernetes, etc.) shortcut to hardcoded IDs in Tools/src/lib/context7.ts and skip the resolver entirely. If an upstream project renames its repo or moves orgs, the cached ID becomes wrong and queries silently miss. To force a fresh resolve, use an alias the cache doesn't know or pass --no-cache.
Common Errors
The CLIs use typed exit codes so callers (Claude included) can distinguish failure categories without parsing strings.
Exit
Kind
Cause
Recovery
3
auth
401 — bad or missing CONTEXT7_API_KEY
Set the env var from context7.com/dashboard or pass --api-key <key>.
4
not_found
404 — library or doc path missing; or malformed ID (missing leading /)
Run c7-resolve <name> to get a valid ID; check the /org/project shape.
5
rate_limit
429 — public rate limit hit; auto-retries once if Retry-After is present
Set CONTEXT7_API_KEY for higher limits, or raise --max-retries.
6
server
5xx — transient Context7 server error
Wait briefly and retry.
7
timeout
408 — request aborted by client timeout
Raise --timeout (e.g. --timeout 60000) or check network.
2
(arg)
Unknown flag, bad value, missing required flag arg
Run --help.
1
(other)
Anything else, including 0-status network errors
Check stderr message; retry.
Errors always print Error: <message> and a Hint: <remediation> line to stderr. With --json, stdout stays clean and parseable; stderr keeps the human-readable error.
Examples
Example 1: React Hooks Documentation
cd ~/.claude/skills/context7/Tools
bun src/cli/lookup.ts react "useEffect cleanup function"
Output includes current React docs with cleanup pattern examples.
Example 2: Kubernetes Deployment Spec
bun src/cli/lookup.ts kubernetes "deployment spec rolling update strategy"
Output includes current K8s API reference for Deployment.
Example 3: Next.js App Router
bun src/cli/lookup.ts next.js "middleware authentication app router"
Output includes latest Next.js middleware documentation.
Example 4: Using in Claude Code Session
When you need documentation during a coding session:
User: "How do I implement server-side data fetching in Next.js 14?"
Claude runs:
cd ~/.claude/skills/context7/Tools && bun src/cli/lookup.ts next.js "server components data fetching"
Then synthesizes response with current patterns (Server Components, not old getServerSideProps)
