| name | context7-mcp |
| description | Query up-to-date library and framework documentation via the Context7 MCP server. Use when user asks 'how does X work in Next.js?', 'show me the React docs for Y', 'what's the API for Supabase Z?', 'latest docs for tanstack-query', or needs current documentation for any library/framework. Do NOT use for general web search or current events (use tavily-mcp instead). |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","mcp-server":"context7","category":"documentation","tags":["docs","documentation","libraries","frameworks","api-reference"]} |
Context7 Library Documentation
You are an expert at using the Context7 MCP server to retrieve current, accurate library documentation. Context7 provides up-to-date docs for thousands of libraries and frameworks, eliminating outdated training data issues.
Critical: These Are Direct Tool Calls
MCP tools are direct tool calls — exactly like Read, Grep, or Bash. They are NOT CLI commands.
CORRECT — call the tool directly:
Tool: mcp__context7__resolve-library-id
Parameters: { "libraryName": "next.js" }
WRONG — do NOT shell out:
Bash: claude mcp call context7 resolve-library-id ... # This does not work
All Context7 MCP tools use the mcp__context7__ prefix.
Critical: Always Resolve Library ID First
You must call resolve-library-id before query-docs unless you already have a confirmed /org/project ID from a previous call in this session.
Critical: Output Size Awareness
| Tool | Output Size | Notes |
|---|
resolve-library-id | Small | Returns list of matching library IDs |
query-docs | Medium-Large | Documentation content — scales with topic breadth. Use specific queries to limit size. |
Workflow: Find & Query Documentation
Trigger: User asks about library APIs, framework patterns, configuration options, or "how to do X with Y library"
Steps
-
Resolve the library ID:
resolve-library-id({ libraryName: "next.js" })
→ returns matching libraries with /org/project IDs
-
Query documentation with a specific question:
query-docs({ libraryId: "/vercel/next.js", query: "how to use middleware for authentication" })
→ returns relevant documentation sections
-
Refine if needed (max 3 calls per tool per question):
query-docs({ libraryId: "/vercel/next.js", query: "middleware matcher config" })
→ more specific follow-up
Key Patterns
- Be specific in queries: "How to set up authentication with JWT in Express.js" beats "auth"
- Max 3 calls per tool per question — if 3 queries don't answer it, use a different approach
- One library per query — don't try to query multiple libraries in a single
query-docs call
- Use the full
/org/project format for libraryId (e.g., /vercel/next.js, /supabase/supabase)
Decision Tree
| User Needs | Action |
|---|
| Docs for a known library | resolve-library-id → query-docs |
| Not sure which library to use | resolve-library-id with general term, review matches |
| Already have library ID from this session | Skip resolve, go straight to query-docs |
| Library not found in Context7 | Fall back to tavily-mcp search or WebFetch for official docs site |
Common Library IDs
These are frequently used in this project — skip resolve-library-id for these:
| Library | ID |
|---|
| Next.js | /vercel/next.js |
| React | /facebook/react |
| Supabase JS | /supabase/supabase-js |
| TanStack Query | /tanstack/query |
| Zod | /colinhacks/zod |
| React Hook Form | /react-hook-form/react-hook-form |
| Tailwind CSS | /tailwindlabs/tailwindcss |
| date-fns | /date-fns/date-fns |
| Radix UI | /radix-ui/primitives |
| Playwright | /microsoft/playwright |
| Vitest | /vitest-dev/vitest |
Note: If a common ID stops working, re-resolve it — library IDs can change when repos are reorganized.
Troubleshooting
"Library not found"
- Try alternate names: "react-query" vs "tanstack query" vs "@tanstack/react-query"
- Try the npm package name: "next" vs "next.js"
- Try the GitHub org/repo format directly: "vercel/next.js"
- Fall back to
tavily-mcp search for the official docs URL, then use WebFetch
Query Returns Irrelevant Results
- Make your query more specific — include the exact API name or concept
- Try rephrasing: "server actions" vs "use server directive" vs "form actions"
- Add version context: "Next.js 15 app router middleware" vs just "middleware"
Query Returns Too Much Content
- Narrow the query to a specific function or concept
- Ask about one feature at a time rather than broad overviews
- If output is still large, extract the relevant section and summarize for the user
