alfredolopez80/context7-usage

Context7 MCP Usage Patterns

v2.88 Key Changes (MODEL-AGNOSTIC)

• Model-agnostic: Uses model configured in ~/.claude/settings.json or CLI/env vars
• No flags required: Works with the configured default model
• Flexible: Works with GLM-5, Claude, Minimax, or any configured model
• Settings-driven: Model selection via ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_*_MODEL env vars

ultrathink - Take a deep breath. We're not here to write code. We're here to make a dent in the universe.

The Vision

Documentation retrieval should be precise, fast, and authoritative.

Your Work, Step by Step

1. Identify library: Extract from the user’s request.
2. Resolve ID: Use Context7 to find the exact source.
3. Query: Ask for targeted, actionable guidance.
4. Fallback: Use MiniMax when Context7 lacks coverage.

Ultrathink Principles in Practice

• Think Different: Prefer indexed docs over scraping.
• Obsess Over Details: Ensure the right library ID.
• Plan Like Da Vinci: Define the query before running it.
• Craft, Don't Code: Return only relevant excerpts.
• Iterate Relentlessly: Re-query for clarity.
• Simplify Ruthlessly: Avoid unnecessary searches.

Context7 MCP Usage Patterns

Overview

Context7 MCP provides indexed documentation for popular libraries and frameworks. It's more efficient than web scraping because it uses pre-indexed, structured documentation.

Available Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Parameters | |------|---------|------------| | mcp__plugin_context7_context7__resolve-library-id | Find Context7 library ID | libraryName, query | | mcp__plugin_context7_context7__query-docs | Query documentation | libraryId, query |

Usage Pattern

# Step 1: Resolve library ID
mcp__plugin_context7_context7__resolve-library-id:
  libraryName: "React"  # Extract from user query
  query: "useTransition hook usage"  # Full query for ranking

# Step 2: Query docs with resolved ID
mcp__plugin_context7_context7__query-docs:
  libraryId: "/vercel/next.js"  # From step 1
  query: "How to use useTransition hook"

Decision Tree

Is this about a library/framework?
|
+-- YES --> Is it in Context7?
|   |
|   +-- YES --> Use Context7 MCP
|   |   1. resolve-library-id
|   |   2. query-docs
|   |
|   +-- NO --> Fallback to MiniMax MCP
|
+-- NO --> Use WebSearch (native) or MiniMax MCP

Supported Libraries (Examples)

Frontend

• React (/facebook/react)
• Next.js (/vercel/next.js)
• Vue.js (/vuejs/vue)
• Angular (/angular/angular)
• Svelte (/sveltejs/svelte)

Languages

• TypeScript (/microsoft/TypeScript)
• JavaScript (MDN)

Backend

• Node.js (/nodejs/node)
• Express (/expressjs/express)
• Fastify (/fastify/fastify)

CSS/UI

• Tailwind CSS (/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss)
• Chakra UI (/chakra-ui/chakra-ui)

Databases

• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB (/mongodb/docs)
• Redis

Cost Optimization

| Approach | Token Usage | Quality | |----------|-------------|---------| | Context7 | ~50% less | High (official docs) | | Web Search | Baseline | Variable | | MiniMax | Baseline | High |

Why Context7 saves tokens:

• Pre-indexed documentation
• Structured responses
• No web scraping overhead
• Focused, relevant content

Integration with Ralph Loop

# CLI usage
ralph library "React 19 useTransition"
ralph lib "Next.js 15 app router"
ralph docs "TypeScript generics"

# Slash command
/library-docs React hooks best practices

Fallback Strategy

If Context7 doesn't have the library:

1. Log warning: "Library not found in Context7"
2. Fallback to mcp__MiniMax__web_search
3. Return results from MiniMax

Best Practices

1. Extract library name first - Parse user query to identify the library
2. Use full query for ranking - Pass complete query to resolve-library-id
3. Handle not-found gracefully - Always have MiniMax fallback ready
4. Combine with code examples - Request code snippets in your prompt