Installation
Run the setup command to configure Context7 for Claude Code:Using Context7
Withctx7 setup, a skill is installed that triggers automatically when you ask about libraries — no need to say “use context7”. You can also invoke it explicitly:
The Context7 Plugin
The full Context7 plugin for Claude Code includes more than just the MCP server:MCP Server
The tools for fetching documentation (
resolve-library-id, query-docs)Skills
Auto-triggers documentation lookups when you ask about libraries
Agents
A
docs-researcher agent for focused lookups that keep context leanCommands
/context7:docs for manual documentation queriesInstalling the Plugin
The plugin is available from the Context7 marketplace. Run these commands in Claude Code:Using Your API Key with the Plugin
Without an API key, the plugin connects anonymously and shares the anonymous rate limits. To use your own plan, create an API key in the Context7 dashboard and export it as an environment variable before launching Claude Code:CONTEXT7_API_KEY from your environment automatically. Restart Claude Code after setting it, then confirm requests are counted against your plan in the dashboard.
If the variable is not set, the plugin still works — requests just go through the anonymous tier, which has lower rate limits.
Skills
Documentation Lookup Skill
This skill triggers automatically when you ask about libraries, frameworks, or need code examples. You don’t need to type “use context7” — the skill recognizes when documentation would help.What triggers the skill
What triggers the skill
- Setup questions: “How do I configure Next.js middleware?”
- Code generation: “Write a Prisma query for user relations”
- API references: “What are the Supabase auth methods?”
- Framework mentions: React, Vue, Svelte, Express, Tailwind, etc.
How it works
How it works
- Resolve: Finds the library ID using
resolve-library-idwith your question as context - Select: Picks the best match based on name accuracy and quality scores
- Fetch: Calls
query-docswith the library ID and your specific question - Return: Provides code examples and explanations from current documentation
Agents
docs-researcher Agent
When you’re in the middle of a long task and don’t want documentation tool calls cluttering your context, spawn thedocs-researcher agent. It runs in a separate context and returns just the answer.
- When to Use
- Examples
- You need docs but want to keep your main context clean
- You’re working on something complex and context is getting long
- You want a focused answer without side effects
resolve-library-id and query-docs) but runs on a lighter model (Sonnet) to keep things fast.
When to Use Agents vs Inline Tools
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| Deep into a task with long context | Agent |
| Want to avoid context bloat | Agent |
| Context is short | Inline tools |
| Want docs visible in conversation | Inline tools |
Commands
/context7:docs
Manual command for documentation lookups. Format:- Basic
- With Library ID
- You know exactly which library and topic you need
- You want a quick lookup without explaining your full context
- You’re testing what documentation is available