Context7

Overview

Context7 is a service that provides LLMs with the latest library documentation. It prevents hallucinations from outdated training data or non-existent APIs, enabling retrieval of version-specific accurate documentation and code examples.

When to Use

Use this skill in the following cases:

• Explicit instruction: When the user instructs "use context7" or "check the latest documentation"

• Library usage questions: When asked about how to use a specific library's API, hooks, or functions

• Code example requests: When asked for code examples using a specific library

• Version-specific information: When library information for a specific version is needed

• Uncertain API information: When your knowledge might be outdated and latest information verification is needed

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve Library ID

First, obtain the Context7 ID for the target library.

API call:

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/libs/search?libraryName=LIBRARY_NAME&query=CONTEXT_QUERY"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Example:

Search for React library

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/libs/search?libraryName=react&query=hooks"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Criteria for selecting from response:

• trustScore : Trust score (higher is better)

• totalSnippets : Number of available documents (more means richer information)

• versions : Verify that the required version is included

Step 2: Retrieve Documentation

Use the resolved library ID to retrieve specific documentation.

API call:

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/context?libraryId=LIBRARY_ID&query=SPECIFIC_QUERY"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Example:

Retrieve information about React's useEffect

curl "https://context7.com/api/v2/context?libraryId=/facebook/react&query=useEffect cleanup function"
-H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTEXT7_API_KEY"

Query best practices:

• Use specific queries ("useEffect cleanup function" rather than "hooks")

• Be clear about the purpose ("authentication middleware", "form validation", etc.)

Step 3: Respond to User

Respond to the user's question based on the retrieved documentation.

Information to include in the response:

• Retrieved code examples

• API explanations

• Documentation source URLs (for reference)

Examples

Example 1: React Hook Usage

User: "How do I write a cleanup function with React's useEffect?"

Execution steps:

• Library search: libraryName=react , query=useEffect cleanup

• Documentation retrieval: libraryId=/facebook/react , query=useEffect cleanup function

• Respond with the latest code examples and best practices

Example 2: Next.js Routing

User: "Use context7 to show me how to implement authentication middleware with Next.js App Router"

Execution steps:

• Library search: libraryName=next.js , query=middleware authentication

• Documentation retrieval: libraryId=/vercel/next.js , query=middleware authentication route protection

• Respond with the latest App Router compatible middleware implementation

Example 3: Multiple Libraries Combination

User: "How to create a button component using TailwindCSS and shadcn/ui"

Execution steps:

• Resolve IDs for each library

• Retrieve documentation for both

• Respond with a combined implementation example

Error Handling

Error Solution

404 (Not Found) Search again with a different library name (e.g., "nextjs" → "next.js")

429 (Rate Limit) Wait a moment and retry

Empty response Retry with a more general query

Resources

For detailed API specifications, see references/api_reference.md .

• Endpoint details

• Response field descriptions

• Rate limit information

• Error code list