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 (opens in a new tab) — Fetch current docs for any library. Use when writing code, verifying API signatures, or when training data may be outdated.
• Skills management (opens in a new tab) — Install, search, suggest, list, remove, and generate AI coding skills.
• Setup (opens in a new tab) — 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

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