claude-skills/skills/using-context7/SKILL.md

name, version, description

name	version	description
using-context7	1.0.0	Use when answering questions about a specific library, framework, SDK, API, or CLI tool — including setup/install, config, API syntax, version-specific behavior, migration between versions, or library-specific errors. Training data is often stale; context7 returns current docs. Skip for general programming concepts, refactoring, business-logic debugging, or when the codebase already answers the question.

Using the context7 MCP server

Overview

context7 is an MCP server that fetches current documentation for named libraries and frameworks. Two tools: mcp__context7__resolve-library-id (name → library ID) and mcp__context7__query-docs (library ID + question → doc snippets).

Your training data has a cutoff. Library APIs change. If a question names a library, reach for context7 before answering from memory, even for libraries you "know" — your recall may be one or two majors behind.

Prerequisites

This skill assumes mcp__context7__resolve-library-id and mcp__context7__query-docs are available. If they aren't (the tools are missing from the session, or calls fail with a connection error), the context7 MCP server isn't running for this session. Trigger the setup-context7 skill to install/configure the official plugin (context7@claude-plugins-official) and inject the user's API key. It's a one-time procedure with confirmation gates.

When to use

Use when the user asks about any of these in the context of a specific library:

• Install / setup / init commands
• Config file shape (nuxt.config.ts, next.config.mjs, tsconfig.json extends, vite.config, etc.)
• API / component / hook / composable syntax
• Migration between versions (v3 → v4, v14 → v15)
• Library-specific errors / warnings
• CLI flags
• Feature availability ("does X support Y?")
• Plugin / module ecosystem questions

Common triggers: "how do I …", "what's the right way to … in ", "is there a way to …", any error message containing a library's name, any config file snippet.

Prefer context7 over WebSearch / WebFetch for library docs — it returns curated snippets, not rendered marketing pages.

When NOT to use

• General programming concepts (closures, concurrency, algorithms)
• Refactoring / code review / business-logic debugging
• Writing new code from scratch where the stack isn't named
• Questions the current codebase answers (read the repo first)
• Your own prior-conversation context (use wiki / memory instead)

Workflow

1. Identify the library (and version, if the user mentioned one)
2. resolve-library-id → pick best match by name + reputation + snippet count
3. query-docs with the ID + a specific question
4. Cite what you found; fall back only if context7 returned nothing useful

Budget: 3 calls per question, max. After 3, use what you have — don't loop.

If the user already gave a library ID in /org/project or /org/project/version form, skip step 2 and go straight to query-docs.

Tool quick reference

Tool	Required args	Purpose
mcp__context7__resolve-library-id	libraryName, query	Name → /org/project ID. Use official casing ("Next.js", not "nextjs").
mcp__context7__query-docs	libraryId, query	ID → doc snippets. query must be specific.

Library ID format: /org/project (e.g. /vercel/next.js) or /org/project/version (e.g. /vercel/next.js/v14.3.0).

Good vs bad queries

resolve-library-id — pick official names:

libraryName: "Nuxt"           query: "Nuxt 4 config and route rules"   ✅
libraryName: "nuxt4"          query: "nuxt"                              ❌ (wrong casing, vague query)

query-docs — be specific:

query: "How to set up @nuxtjs/i18n with prefix_except_default and ru default locale in Nuxt 4"  ✅
query: "i18n"                                                                                    ❌
query: "How to configure YooKassa payment provider in Medusa v2 core flows"                     ✅
query: "payments"                                                                                ❌

A specific query returns targeted snippets; a vague one returns a grab bag you'll ignore.

Example

User: "How do routeRules work in Nuxt 4?"

1. mcp__context7__resolve-library-id
   libraryName: "Nuxt"
   query: "Nuxt 4 routeRules hybrid rendering"
   → /nuxt/nuxt  (or /nuxt/nuxt/v4.x.x if version known)

2. mcp__context7__query-docs
   libraryId: "/nuxt/nuxt"
   query: "routeRules for hybrid rendering: ssr, prerender, isr, swr — syntax and examples"
   → doc snippets

3. Answer using the snippets. Cite the library + version.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Answering from memory on a library question	Run resolve-library-id first. Your training data is stale.
Calling query-docs without resolving first	Required unless user already gave /org/project ID.
Vague queries ("auth", "hooks", "config")	Include the specific task, version, and constraints.
Looping until you find the "perfect" answer	3-call hard cap. Take the best result and move on.
Using context7 for codebase questions	Read the code. context7 doesn't know your repo.
Using context7 for general concepts	Answer from training data. context7 is for libraries.

Red flags

• "I already know this library" → your recall may be one major behind. Resolve anyway if the user is about to act on your answer.
• "This will take too many calls" → you have 3. Use them.
• "The error message looks obvious" → error messages that include a library name are a strong context7 signal.