The ctx7 CLI is the command-line interface for Context7. It does three things:
- Fetch library documentation — resolve any library by name and query its up-to-date docs directly in your terminal, without opening a browser
- Manage AI coding skills — install, search, generate, and remove skills from the Context7 registry
- Configure Context7 MCP — set up the MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor, or OpenCode with a single command
The CLI is useful both as a standalone tool (fetching docs while you code) and as a setup utility (wiring up Context7 for your AI coding agent).
Installation
Requires Node.js 18 or later.
npx (no install)
Global install
Run ctx7 directly without installing anything. Useful for one-off commands or trying it out.npx ctx7 --help
npx ctx7 library react
Install globally for faster access — no npx prefix needed on every command.npm install -g ctx7
# Verify installation
ctx7 --version
Query Library Documentation
Fetching docs is a two-step process: first resolve the library name to get its Context7 ID, then use that ID to query documentation.
Step 1 — ctx7 library
Searches the Context7 index by name and returns matching libraries. Pass a query describing what you’re trying to do — this ranks results by relevance and helps when a library name is ambiguous or shared across multiple packages.
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"
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Library ID | The identifier to pass to ctx7 docs (format: /org/project) |
| Code Snippets | Number of indexed code examples — higher means more documentation coverage |
| Source Reputation | Authority indicator: High, Medium, Low, or Unknown |
| Benchmark Score | Quality score from 0 to 100 |
| Versions | Version-specific IDs when available (format: /org/project/version) |
# Fetch docs for a specific version
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js/v14.3.0-canary.87 "How to set up app router"
# Output as JSON for scripting
ctx7 library react "How to use hooks for state management" --json | jq '.[0].id'
Step 2 — ctx7 docs
Takes a library ID and a natural-language question, and returns relevant code snippets and explanations from the indexed documentation.
ctx7 docs /facebook/react "How to clean up useEffect with async operations"
ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "How to add middleware that redirects unauthenticated users"
ctx7 docs /prisma/prisma "How to define one-to-many relations with cascade delete"
Library IDs always start with /. Running ctx7 docs react "hooks" will fail — always use the full ID returned by ctx7 library in Step 1.
"How to set up authentication with JWT in Express.js" returns much better results than "auth".
The output contains two types of content: code snippets (titled, with language-tagged blocks) and info snippets (prose explanations with breadcrumb context). Both are formatted for readability in the terminal.
# 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 -A 10 "middleware"
Setup
Configure Context7 for your AI coding agent. On first run, prompts you to choose between two modes:
- MCP server — registers the Context7 MCP server in your agent’s config so it can call
resolve-library-id and get-library-docs tools natively
- CLI + Skills — installs a
docs skill that guides your agent to fetch up-to-date library docs using ctx7 CLI commands (no MCP required)
ctx7 setup
# Interactive — prompts for mode, then agent/install target
ctx7 setup
# Skip the mode prompt
ctx7 setup --mcp # MCP server mode
ctx7 setup --cli # CLI + Skills mode
# Target a specific agent (MCP mode)
ctx7 setup --claude
ctx7 setup --cursor
ctx7 setup --opencode
# Target a specific install location (CLI + Skills mode)
ctx7 setup --cli --claude # Claude Code (~/.claude/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --cursor # Cursor (~/.cursor/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --universal # Universal (~/.config/agents/skills)
ctx7 setup --cli --antigravity # Antigravity (~/.config/agent/skills)
# Configure for current project only (default is global)
ctx7 setup --project
# Skip confirmation prompts
ctx7 setup --yes
# Use an existing API key (works for both MCP and CLI + Skills mode)
ctx7 setup --api-key YOUR_API_KEY
# Use OAuth endpoint — MCP mode only (IDE handles the auth flow)
ctx7 setup --oauth
--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 — use it when an IDE handles the auth flow on your behalf.
What gets written — MCP mode:
| File | Purpose |
|---|
.mcp.json / .cursor/mcp.json / .opencode.json | MCP server entry |
| Agent rules directory | Rule file — instructs the agent to use Context7 for library docs |
| Agent skills directory | context7-mcp skill |
| File | Purpose |
|---|
| Agent skills directory | docs skill — guides the agent to use ctx7 library and ctx7 docs commands |
Authentication
Most commands work without authentication. Log in to unlock skill generation and higher rate limits on documentation commands.
Commands
# Log in (opens browser for OAuth)
ctx7 login
# Log in without opening the browser (prints URL instead)
ctx7 login --no-browser
# Check current login status
ctx7 whoami
# Log out
ctx7 logout
API Key
Set an API key via environment variable to skip interactive login entirely — useful for CI or scripting:
export CONTEXT7_API_KEY=your_key
When is authentication required?
| Feature | Required |
|---|
ctx7 library / ctx7 docs | No — login gives higher rate limits |
ctx7 skills install / search / suggest / list / remove | No |
ctx7 skills generate | Yes |
ctx7 setup | Yes — unless --api-key is passed (--oauth also skips login for MCP mode) |
Skills
Manage AI coding skills from the Context7 registry. See Skills for a full explanation of what skills are, the registry, trust scores, and skill file structure.
ctx7 skills install
Install skills from any GitHub repository. Repository format is /owner/repo.
# Interactive — pick from a list
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills
# Install a specific skill by name
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf
# Install all skills without prompting
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills --all
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude # Claude Code
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --cursor # Cursor
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --universal # Universal (.agents/skills/)
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --antigravity
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --global
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills --all --global
When installing to multiple clients, the skill files are created in your primary client’s directory and symlinked to the others.
ctx7 si /anthropics/skills pdf
ctx7 skills search
Find skills across all indexed repositories by keyword. Shows an interactive list — select to install directly.
ctx7 skills search pdf
ctx7 skills search typescript testing
ctx7 skills search react nextjs
ctx7 ss pdf
ctx7 skills suggest
Auto-detects your project dependencies and recommends relevant skills from the registry.
# Scan current project
ctx7 skills suggest
# Target a specific client
ctx7 skills suggest --claude
ctx7 skills suggest --cursor
# Install suggestions globally
ctx7 skills suggest --global
package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, Gemfile.
Alias: ctx7 ssg
ctx7 skills generate
Generate a custom skill tailored to your stack using AI. Requires login.
ctx7 skills generate
# Generate and install to a specific client
ctx7 skills generate --claude
ctx7 skills generate --cursor
ctx7 skills generate --universal
# Generate as a global skill
ctx7 skills generate --global
- Describe the expertise you want (e.g., “OAuth authentication with NextAuth.js”)
- Select relevant libraries from search results
- Answer 3 clarifying questions to focus the skill
- Review the generated skill and request changes if needed
- Choose where to install it
Describe best practices and constraints, not step-by-step tutorials. “TypeScript strict mode patterns” generates a more useful skill than “how to write TypeScript.”
ctx7 skills gen, ctx7 skills g
ctx7 skills list
View skills installed in your project or globally.
ctx7 skills list # All detected clients
ctx7 skills list --claude
ctx7 skills list --cursor
ctx7 skills list --global
ctx7 skills info
Preview all available skills in a repository without installing.
ctx7 skills info /anthropics/skills
ctx7 skills remove
Uninstall a skill by name.
ctx7 skills remove pdf
ctx7 skills remove pdf --claude
ctx7 skills remove pdf --global
ctx7 skills rm, ctx7 skills delete
Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Full command |
|---|
ctx7 si | ctx7 skills install |
ctx7 ss | ctx7 skills search |
ctx7 ssg | ctx7 skills suggest |
ctx7 skills i | ctx7 skills install |
ctx7 skills s | ctx7 skills search |
ctx7 skills ls | ctx7 skills list |
ctx7 skills rm | ctx7 skills remove |
ctx7 skills gen | ctx7 skills generate |
ctx7 skills g | ctx7 skills generate |
Telemetry
The CLI collects anonymous usage data to help improve the product. To disable:
# For a single command
CTX7_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 ctx7 skills search pdf
# Permanently — add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export CTX7_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
Next Steps
