Context7 Cli

ctx7 CLI

The Context7 CLI does three things: fetches up-to-date library documentation, manages AI coding skills, and sets up Context7 MCP for your editor.

Make sure the CLI is up to date before running commands:

npm install -g ctx7@latest

Or run directly without installing:

npx ctx7@latest <command>

What this skill covers

• [Documentation](references/docs.md) — Fetch current docs for any library. Use when writing code, verifying API signatures, or when training data may be outdated.
• [Skills management](references/skills.md) — Install, search, suggest, list, remove, and generate AI coding skills.
• [Setup](references/setup.md) — Configure Context7 MCP for Claude Code / Cursor / OpenCode.

Quick Reference

# Documentation
ctx7 library <name> <query>           # Step 1: resolve library ID
ctx7 docs <libraryId> <query>         # Step 2: fetch docs

# Skills
ctx7 skills install /owner/repo       # Install from a repo (interactive)
ctx7 skills install /owner/repo name  # Install a specific skill
ctx7 skills search <keywords>         # Search the registry
ctx7 skills suggest                   # Auto-suggest based on project deps
ctx7 skills list                      # List installed skills
ctx7 skills remove <name>             # Uninstall a skill
ctx7 skills generate                  # Generate a custom skill with AI (requires login)

# Setup
ctx7 setup                            # Configure Context7 MCP (interactive)
ctx7 login                            # Log in for higher rate limits + skill generation
ctx7 whoami                           # Check current login status

Authentication

ctx7 login               # Opens browser for OAuth
ctx7 login --no-browser  # Prints URL instead of opening browser
ctx7 logout              # Clear stored tokens
ctx7 whoami              # Show current login status (name + email)

Most commands work without login. Exceptions: skills generate always requires it; ctx7 setup requires it unless --api-key or --oauth is passed. Login also unlocks higher rate limits on docs commands.

Set an API key via environment variable to skip interactive login entirely:

export CONTEXT7_API_KEY=your_key

Common Mistakes

• Library IDs require a / prefix — /facebook/react not facebook/react
• Always run ctx7 library first — ctx7 docs react "hooks" will fail without a valid ID
• Repository format for skills is /owner/repo — e.g., ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills
• skills generate requires login — run ctx7 login first

Documentation Commands

Retrieves and queries up-to-date documentation and code examples from Context7 for any programming library or framework. Two-step workflow: resolve the library name to get its ID, then query docs using that ID.

If the user already provided a library ID in /org/project or /org/project/version format, pass it directly to ctx7 docs.

Step 1: Resolve a Library

Resolves a package/product name to a Context7-compatible library ID and returns matching libraries.

ctx7 library react "How to clean up useEffect with async operations"
ctx7 library nextjs "How to set up app router with middleware"
ctx7 library prisma "How to define one-to-many relations with cascade delete"

Always pass a query argument — it is required and directly affects result ranking. Use the user's intent to form the query, which helps disambiguate when multiple libraries share a similar name. Do not include any sensitive or confidential information such as API keys, passwords, credentials, personal data, or proprietary code in your query.

Result fields

Each result includes:

• Library ID — Context7-compatible identifier (format: /org/project)
• Name — Library or package name
• Description — Short summary
• Code Snippets — Number of available code examples
• Source Reputation — Authority indicator (High, Medium, Low, or Unknown)
• Benchmark Score — Quality indicator (100 is the highest score)
• Versions — List of versions if available. Use one of those versions if the user provides a version in their query. The format is /org/project/version.

Selection process

1. Analyze the query to understand what library/package the user is looking for 2. Select the most relevant match based on:

• Name similarity to the query (exact matches prioritized)
• Description relevance to the query's intent
• Documentation coverage (prioritize libraries with higher Code Snippet counts)
• Source reputation (consider libraries with High or Medium reputation more authoritative)
• Benchmark score (higher is better, 100 is the maximum)

3. If multiple good matches exist, acknowledge this but proceed with the most relevant one 4. If no good matches exist, clearly state this and suggest query refinements 5. For ambiguous queries, request clarification before proceeding with a best-guess match

IMPORTANT: Do not call ctx7 library more than 3 times per question. If you cannot find what you need after 3 calls, use the best result you have.

Version-specific IDs

If the user mentions a specific version, use a version-specific library ID:

# General (latest indexed)
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to set up app router"

# Version-specific
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js/v14.3.0-canary.87 "How to set up app router"

The available versions are listed in the ctx7 library output. Use the closest match to what the user specified.

# Output as JSON for scripting
ctx7 library react "How to use hooks for state management" --json | jq '.[0].id'

Step 2: Query Documentation

Retrieves up-to-date documentation and code examples for the resolved library.

You must call ctx7 library first to obtain the exact Context7-compatible library ID required to use this command, UNLESS the user explicitly provides a library ID in the format /org/project or /org/project/version.

ctx7 docs /facebook/react "How to clean up useEffect with async operations"
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to add authentication middleware to app router"
ctx7 docs /prisma/prisma "How to define one-to-many relations with cascade delete"

IMPORTANT: Do not call ctx7 docs more than 3 times per question. If you cannot find what you need after 3 calls, use the best information you have.

Writing good queries

The query directly affects the quality of results. Be specific and include relevant details. Do not include any sensitive or confidential information such as API keys, passwords, credentials, personal data, or proprietary code in your query.

Use the user's full question as the query when possible — vague one-word queries return generic results.

The output contains two types of content: code snippets (titled, with language-tagged blocks) and info snippets (prose explanations with breadcrumb context).

# Output as structured JSON
ctx7 docs /facebook/react "How to use hooks for state management" --json

# Pipe to other tools — output is clean when not in a TTY (no spinners or colors)
ctx7 docs /facebook/react "How to use hooks for state management" | head -50
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to add middleware for route protection" | grep -A5 "middleware"

Authentication

Works without authentication. For higher rate limits:

# Option A: environment variable
export CONTEXT7_API_KEY=your_key

# Option B: OAuth login
ctx7 login

Setup

ctx7 setup

One-time command to configure Context7 for your AI coding agent. Prompts for mode on first run:

• MCP server — registers the Context7 MCP server so the agent can call tools natively
• CLI + Skills — installs a find-docs skill that guides the agent to use ctx7 CLI commands (no MCP required)

ctx7 setup                     # Interactive — prompts for mode, then agent/install target
ctx7 setup --mcp               # Skip prompt, use MCP server mode
ctx7 setup --cli               # Skip prompt, use CLI + Skills mode

# MCP mode — target a specific agent
ctx7 setup --claude            # Claude Code only
ctx7 setup --cursor            # Cursor only
ctx7 setup --opencode          # OpenCode only

# CLI + Skills mode — target a specific install location
ctx7 setup --cli --claude      # Claude Code (~/.claude/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --cursor      # Cursor (~/.cursor/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --universal   # Universal (~/.agents/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --antigravity # Antigravity (~/.config/agent/skills)

ctx7 setup --project           # Configure current project instead of globally
ctx7 setup --yes               # Skip confirmation prompts

Authentication options:

ctx7 setup --api-key YOUR_KEY  # Use an existing API key (both MCP and CLI + Skills mode)
ctx7 setup --oauth             # OAuth endpoint — MCP mode only (IDE handles the auth flow)

Without --api-key or --oauth, setup opens a browser for OAuth login. MCP mode additionally generates a new API key after login. --oauth is MCP-only.

What gets written — MCP mode:

• MCP server entry in the agent's config file (.mcp.json for Claude, .cursor/mcp.json for Cursor, .opencode.json for OpenCode)
• A Context7 rule file instructing the agent to use Context7 for library docs
• A context7-mcp skill in the agent's skills directory

What gets written — CLI + Skills mode:

• A find-docs skill in the chosen agent's skills directory, guiding the agent to use ctx7 library and ctx7 docs commands

Skills Commands

Manage AI coding skills from the Context7 registry. Skills are Markdown files that teach AI coding agents best practices, patterns, and workflows for specific libraries or tasks.

Install

Install skills from any GitHub repository. Repository format is always /owner/repo.

ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills           # Interactive — pick from a list
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf        # Install a specific skill by name
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills --all      # Install everything without prompting

Target a specific IDE with a flag:

ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude     # Claude Code only
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --cursor     # Cursor only
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --universal  # Universal (.agents/skills/)
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills --all --global   # All skills, global install

Alias: ctx7 si /anthropics/skills pdf

Search

Find skills across the entire registry by keyword. Shows an interactive list with install counts and trust scores. Select to install.

ctx7 skills search pdf
ctx7 skills search typescript testing
ctx7 skills search react nextjs

Alias: ctx7 ss pdf

Suggest

Auto-detects your project dependencies and recommends relevant skills from the registry.

ctx7 skills suggest           # Scan current project, install to project
ctx7 skills suggest --global  # Install suggestions globally
ctx7 skills suggest --claude  # Target Claude Code only

Reads package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, Gemfile. Falls back to suggesting ctx7 skills search if no dependencies are detected.

Alias: ctx7 ssg

Generate (AI-powered)

Generate a custom skill tailored to your stack using AI. Requires login.

ctx7 skills generate
ctx7 skills generate --claude   # Install directly to Claude Code
ctx7 skills generate --global   # Install to global skills

Interactive flow: 1. Describe the expertise you want (e.g., "OAuth authentication with NextAuth.js") 2. Select relevant libraries from search results 3. Answer 3 clarifying questions to focus the skill 4. Review the generated skill, request changes if needed 5. Choose where to install it

Limits: Free accounts get 6 generations/week, Pro accounts get 10.

Aliases: ctx7 skills gen, ctx7 skills g

List

Show all installed skills for the current project or globally.

ctx7 skills list                  # Current project (all detected IDEs)
ctx7 skills list --claude         # Claude Code only
ctx7 skills list --global         # Global skills
ctx7 skills list --global --claude # Global Claude Code skills

Remove

Uninstall a skill by name.

ctx7 skills remove pdf
ctx7 skills remove pdf --claude   # From Claude Code only
ctx7 skills remove pdf --global   # From global skills

Aliases: ctx7 skills rm, ctx7 skills delete

Info

Browse all skills in a repository without installing — useful for previewing what's available.

ctx7 skills info /anthropics/skills

Output shows each skill name, description, and URL, plus quick install commands.

IDE Flags

All skills commands accept these flags to target a specific AI coding assistant:

Without a flag, the CLI prompts you to select one or more targets interactively.

Add --global to any flag to install in your home directory instead of the current project.