scruffydan/using-docs-fetcher

Using the Documentation Fetcher

When you need to look up external documentation (APIs, libraries, frameworks, configuration options, or any technical reference), use the @docs-fetcher agent to fetch and extract only the relevant portions. This keeps the main context clean and avoids flooding it with entire documentation pages.

When to Use @docs-fetcher

Use the docs-fetcher agent when you need to:

• Look up API methods, endpoints, or parameters - Understanding how to call specific APIs or what parameters are available
• Check configuration options for libraries/frameworks - Finding available config settings and their expected values
• Find code examples for specific use cases - Locating official examples that demonstrate best practices
• Research version-specific features or breaking changes - Understanding what changed between versions
• Troubleshoot errors with official documentation - Finding solutions to error messages or unexpected behavior

How to Use @docs-fetcher

Basic Pattern

@docs-fetcher: Fetch the Stripe Payment Intents API documentation,
specifically how to create a payment intent with metadata.

Version-Specific Queries

@docs-fetcher: Get the Next.js 13 App Router documentation about
server components and data fetching patterns.

Benefits of Using @docs-fetcher

• Reduces context bloat - Only relevant portions are retrieved
• Ensures current information - Fetches latest docs, not training data
• Targeted extraction - Focuses on specific topics you need
• Better accuracy - Uses official sources rather than memory

Best Practices

1. Be specific - Tell docs-fetcher exactly what information you need
2. Mention the library/framework version - If version-specific behavior matters
3. Request examples - Official examples often show best practices
4. Use for unfamiliar APIs - When you're not certain about current syntax
5. Verify breaking changes - Check docs when upgrading dependencies

Example

@docs-fetcher: Fetch the PostgreSQL documentation for the JSONB
data type, specifically the containment operators and indexing strategies.

When NOT to Use @docs-fetcher

• For well-known, stable APIs you're confident about
• When you just need a quick syntax reminder for common operations
• For internal project documentation (use code exploration instead)
• When the information is readily available in code comments or type definitions