finding-docs

Finding Documentation

Retrieve current documentation and code examples for any library using the Context7 CLI.

npx ctx7@latest <command>

Workflow

Two-step process -- resolve the library name to an ID, then query docs with that ID.

# Step 1: Resolve library ID
ctx7 library <name> <query>

# Step 2: Query documentation
ctx7 docs <libraryId> <query>

You MUST call ctx7 library first to obtain a valid library ID UNLESS the user explicitly provides a library ID in the format /org/project or /org/project/version.

IMPORTANT: Do not run these commands more than 3 times per question. If you cannot find what you need after 3 attempts, use the best result you have.

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.

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. Analyse 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 prioritised)
   • Description relevance to the query's intent
   • Documentation coverage (prioritise 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