DeepWiki MCP
Query any public GitHub repository using DeepWiki's AI-powered documentation and Q&A service. No API key, no auth, free.
MCP endpoint: https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp
Scope & Boundaries
This skill handles:
- Asking natural-language questions about any public GitHub repo
- Listing documentation topics indexed by DeepWiki
- Fetching full wiki contents for a repo
- Running queries via the included helper script
This skill does NOT handle:
- Private repository access (requires paid Devin account)
- Modifying repositories or submitting PRs
- Real-time code analysis (DeepWiki may lag a few days behind latest commits)
- Local code search or grep (use standard file tools for that)
Inputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Yes | Natural-language question about a repo |
| Repository | No | owner/repo format. Defaults to openclaw/openclaw |
| Action | No | ask (default), topics, or docs |
Outputs
- AI-grounded text answer with source references from the repo
- Or a structured list of documentation topics
- Or full wiki contents (large output)
Workflow
Step 1 — Run the helper script
The script is located in this skill's directory at scripts/deepwiki.sh.
# Ask a question (defaults to openclaw/openclaw)
<skill_dir>/scripts/deepwiki.sh ask "How does session compaction work?"
# Ask about a specific repo
<skill_dir>/scripts/deepwiki.sh ask facebook/react "How does concurrent mode work?"
# List documentation topics
<skill_dir>/scripts/deepwiki.sh topics openclaw/openclaw
# Get full wiki contents (large output — prefer ask for targeted queries)
<skill_dir>/scripts/deepwiki.sh docs openclaw/openclaw
Replace <skill_dir> with the directory containing this SKILL.md.
Step 2 — Interpret and relay the answer
DeepWiki returns AI-generated answers grounded in the repo's actual source code. The response typically includes:
- Direct answer to the question
- References to specific files and code paths
- Context about related functionality
Relay the answer to the user, adding your own context if you have additional knowledge.
Step 3 — Follow up if needed
If the answer is incomplete or raises new questions:
- Ask a more specific follow-up question
- Use
topicsto find relevant documentation sections - Use
docsfor broader context (but note: output can be very large)
Direct curl (fallback)
If the helper script is unavailable:
curl -s -X POST https://mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
-d '{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "ask_question",
"arguments": {
"repoName": "owner/repo",
"question": "YOUR QUESTION"
}
}
}' | grep '^data:' | grep '"id":1' | sed 's/^data: //' | \
python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d['result']['content'][0]['text'])"
MCP Tools Reference
| Tool | Purpose | Arguments |
|---|---|---|
ask_question | Ask any question, get AI-grounded answer | repoName, question |
read_wiki_structure | List documentation topics for a repo | repoName |
read_wiki_contents | Get full wiki docs for a repo | repoName |
Error Handling
| Problem | Detection | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Timeout (>60s) | curl hangs or no response | Retry once; DeepWiki may be under load |
| Empty response | No data: lines in SSE stream | Check if repo exists and is public |
| Repo not indexed | Error message about unknown repo | Try again — DeepWiki indexes on first request |
| Rate limited | HTTP 429 or error response | Wait 30s and retry |
| Script not found | File not at expected path | Use direct curl fallback |
Success Criteria
- DeepWiki returns a substantive answer (not an error or empty response)
- Answer references actual code/files from the repository
- User's question is addressed with grounded information
Configuration
No persistent configuration required. The skill uses:
exectool to run the helper script (bash + curl + python3)- No API keys or authentication needed
- Works for any public GitHub repository
System dependencies:
| Dependency | Purpose |
|---|---|
| bash | Script execution |
| curl | HTTP requests to MCP endpoint |
| python3 | JSON parsing of SSE responses |
Notes
- Responses take 10-30s (AI generates answers server-side)
ask_questionis the most useful tool — use it first- DeepWiki crawls repos periodically; may lag behind very recent commits
- Works for any public GitHub repo, not just OpenClaw
- For private repos, a paid Devin account is required