Context7 Documentation Assistant

This skill teaches Codex when and how to effectively use the Context7 MCP server to fetch current library documentation.

Core Principle

Context7 bridges the gap between Codex's training data (which may lag behind) and the current state of fast-moving libraries. Use it proactively when library-specific knowledge matters.

Automatic Invocation Triggers

ALWAYS use Context7 when:

1. Library mentioned by name in user's request

   • "implement Next.js middleware auth"
   • "use Prisma connection pooling"
   • "Redis pub/sub with ioredis"

2. Code involves library-specific APIs

   • Importing third-party packages
   • Using framework-specific patterns
   • Configuring library-specific options

3. Fast-moving ecosystems (docs change monthly/quarterly)

   • Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, Vite
   • Express, Fastify, NestJS
   • Modern testing frameworks (vitest, jest, playwright)
   • ORMs and database libraries (Prisma, Drizzle, Sequelize)

4. Version-sensitive scenarios

   • Breaking changes between major versions
   • Deprecated APIs
   • New features in recent releases

When NOT to Use Context7

Skip Context7 for:

• Standard library functions (Node.js core modules, browser APIs)
• Stable, well-known patterns (basic SQL, HTTP concepts, Unix commands)
• General programming concepts (algorithms, data structures, design patterns)
• Historical/legacy code where training data is sufficient
• Non-library work (pure business logic, mathematical computations)

Invocation Workflow

Step 1: Detect library reference

User mentions: "PostgreSQL connection pooling with node-postgres"
→ Library detected: pg (node-postgres)

Step 2: Resolve library ID

Call resolve-library-id with query: "pg" or "node-postgres"
→ Receive Context7 ID: "@node-postgres/pg" (or similar)

Step 3: Fetch targeted documentation

Call get-library-docs with:
- library_id: "@node-postgres/pg"
- query: "connection pooling" (specific to user's need)

Step 4: Apply documentation

Use the fetched docs to:

• Generate current, correct code
• Cite version-specific patterns
• Avoid deprecated approaches

Token Efficiency Strategies

1. One library at a time - Don't bulk-fetch multiple libraries
2. Specific queries - "FastAPI dependency injection" not just "FastAPI"
3. Read carefully - Context7 docs are pre-filtered and relevant
4. Session memory - Remember library IDs within a conversation
5. Lazy loading - Only fetch when about to generate library-specific code

Error Recovery Patterns

Library not found

Try variations:
- "react-query" → "tanstack-query"
- "nextjs/middleware" → "nextjs"
- "node-redis" → "redis"
- "ioredis" → "redis"

Fallback: Training knowledge + note to user about docs availability

Docs seem incomplete

Strategies:
1. Refine query to be more specific
2. Try related library in ecosystem
3. Combine Context7 docs with web_search for very new features

Rate limiting

Without API key: Conservative usage, batch-related queries
With API key: Normal operation

Common Library Patterns

CLI & Logging

• commander

  - CLI applications (multi-command, config files)

• yargs

  - CLI argument parsing

• pino

  - High-performance logging (multi-transport, structured)

• winston

  - Flexible logging transports

Frontend Frameworks & UI

• react

  - Core UI framework (hooks, concurrent APIs)

• next

  - App Router, middleware, server actions

• vue

  /

  nuxt

  - Vue ecosystem patterns

• tailwindcss

  - Utility-first styling (config changes)

Data Validation & Serialization

• zod

  - Runtime schema validation (1.x vs 3.x changes)

• yup

  - Validation schemas

Database & Caching

• prisma

  - ORM with schema-driven workflows

• drizzle-orm

  - Type-safe SQL

• pg

  - PostgreSQL (pooling, transactions)

• redis

  /

  ioredis

  - Redis (queuing, caching)

Development Tools

• vitest

  - Testing framework

• jest

  - Unit testing

• playwright

  /

  cypress

  - E2E testing

• eslint

  /

  typescript

  - Linting & typing

Utilities

• dotenv

  - Environment management

• axios

  - HTTP client

Integration with Other Skills

When building frontend apps

1. Context7 for React/Next.js routing and data-fetching patterns
2. Context7 for Tailwind CSS configuration and plugins
3. Combine with your UI conventions and design system

When building API services

1. Context7 for Express/Fastify/NestJS middleware patterns
2. Context7 for Prisma/Drizzle query patterns
3. Your project structure and conventions

When writing tests

1. Context7 for Vitest/Jest features (mocking, config, setup)
2. Context7 for Playwright/Cypress E2E patterns
3. Your testing patterns for organization

When debugging

1. Examine error messages for library clues
2. Context7 for library-specific debugging techniques
3. Stack traces often reveal version-specific issues

Best Practices

1. Be proactive - Don't wait to be asked; invoke when you see library names
2. Version awareness - Check package.json/requirements.txt first
3. Cite sources - Mention you're using Context7 docs briefly
4. Verify assumptions - Training data may be outdated for fast-moving libs
5. Combine approaches - Context7 + training knowledge + web search as needed

Example Decision Trees

User: "Set up PostgreSQL connection pooling"

Decision: Use Context7
Reason: PostgreSQL drivers have version-specific pooling APIs
Steps:
1. Detect library: pg or Prisma (check user's environment)
2. Resolve ID
3. Fetch pooling docs
4. Generate current best-practice code

User: "Explain bubble sort algorithm"

Decision: Skip Context7
Reason: Algorithmic concept, no library involved
Action: Use training knowledge directly

User: "Create a commander CLI that loads config from YAML and has multiple commands"

Decision: Use Context7
Reason: commander has specific patterns for multi-command + config
Steps:
1. Resolve commander library ID
2. Fetch docs on command groups and configuration
3. Generate current commander patterns

User: "Build a Next.js app with App Router and middleware"

Decision: Use Context7
Reason: Next.js routing and middleware APIs change across versions
Steps:
1. Check package.json for Next.js version
2. Resolve next library ID
3. Fetch current App Router + middleware patterns
4. Generate version-appropriate code

User: "Set up pino with multiple transports for different modules"

Decision: Use Context7
Reason: pino has specific multi-transport configuration patterns
Steps:
1. Resolve pino library ID
2. Fetch multi-transport setup docs
3. Generate proper transport configuration

Monitoring Your Usage

After using Context7, briefly note:

• ✓ Library ID resolved successfully
• ✓ Docs were relevant and current
• ⚠ Fell back to training knowledge (docs unavailable)
• ⚠ Combined Context7 + web search (very new features)

This helps users understand your information sources.

Special Considerations for Node/Web Workflows

Frontend frameworks

• Use Context7 for: React/Next/Vue/Nuxt routing and data-fetching specifics
• Use training for: general UI concepts and patterns
• Check versions especially for breaking changes (Next.js App Router, React APIs)
• Version-specific APIs matter for framework routing, data fetching, and server components

CLI applications

• Multi-command structures: command groups, shared options
• Configuration handling: YAML/TOML loading patterns
• Use Context7 for: commander/yargs-specific patterns, not generic CLI concepts

Logging

• Multi-transport setups for different modules/projects
• Structured logging for Node services
• Rotation and retention policies
• Use Context7 for: pino/winston configuration, not generic logging

Database-heavy work

• PostgreSQL/MySQL features and drivers change frequently
• Use Context7 for: pg/mysql2 connection patterns, pooling, transactions
• Critical for: JSON operations, performance features
• Migration and schema patterns for Prisma/Drizzle

Data validation

• zod/yup APIs and best practices evolve
• Always check versions before generating schemas
• Use Context7 for: version-specific validation patterns and transforms

Development tooling

• vitest/jest: config, mocks, and environment settings change over versions
• eslint/typescript: config formats and rules evolve
• Use Context7 for: current best practices, not outdated patterns

Meta: When to Load This Skill

This skill loads automatically when:

• User mentions library/framework names
• Code generation involves third-party packages
• Documentation quality affects success

Token cost: ~50 tokens until loaded, ~1200 tokens when active