Installation

Installation instructions for Context7 MCP server, SDK, CLI, and AI SDK tools

Context7 provides multiple packages for different use cases. Choose the installation method that fits your needs.

MCP Server

The MCP server enables AI coding assistants to access Context7’s documentation database.

Package Information

• Package: @upstash/context7-mcp
• Version: Latest on npm
• Repository: github.com/upstash/context7

Installation Options

Remote Server (Recommended)

Connect to Context7’s hosted MCP server - no installation required.

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "CONTEXT7_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add --scope user \
  --header "CONTEXT7_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  --transport http context7 \
  https://mcp.context7.com/mcp

"mcp": {
  "context7": {
    "type": "remote",
    "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "CONTEXT7_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
    },
    "enabled": true
  }
}

Remote servers are faster, more reliable, and don’t require Node.js installation.

Local Server

Run the MCP server locally using npx:

Cursor

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp", "--api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add --scope user context7 -- \
  npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

{
  "mcp": {
    "context7": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp", "--api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Requires Node.js 18 or higher. The -y flag automatically installs the latest version.

OAuth Authentication

Use OAuth for authentication instead of API keys:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp/oauth"
    }
  }
}

OAuth is only available for remote HTTP connections. Your MCP client must support the MCP OAuth specification.

Running as HTTP Server

You can also run the MCP server as a standalone HTTP server:

npx @upstash/context7-mcp --transport http --port 3000

The server will start at http://localhost:3000/mcp.

Available endpoints:

• /mcp - MCP protocol endpoint (anonymous access)
• /mcp/oauth - OAuth-protected endpoint
• /ping - Health check
• /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource - OAuth metadata

SDK

The TypeScript/JavaScript SDK provides programmatic access to Context7’s API.

Installation

npm

npm install @upstash/context7-sdk

yarn add @upstash/context7-sdk

pnpm add @upstash/context7-sdk

Usage

import { Context7 } from '@upstash/context7-sdk';

// Initialize with API key
const ctx7 = new Context7({
  apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...' // or set CONTEXT7_API_KEY env var
});

// Search for libraries
const libraries = await ctx7.searchLibrary(
  'How to set up authentication?',
  'next.js',
  { type: 'json' }
);

console.log(libraries);
// [
//   {
//     id: '/vercel/next.js',
//     name: 'Next.js',
//     description: 'The React Framework for the Web',
//     codeSnippets: 1250,
//     reputation: 'High',
//     benchmarkScore: 98,
//     versions: ['15.1.5', '14.2.0', ...]
//   }
// ]

// Get documentation for a library
const docs = await ctx7.getContext(
  'How to create middleware?',
  '/vercel/next.js',
  { type: 'json' }
);

console.log(docs);
// [
//   {
//     type: 'code',
//     content: 'export function middleware(request) {...}',
//     title: 'Basic Middleware',
//     url: 'https://nextjs.org/docs/middleware'
//   },
//   ...
// ]

API Methods

searchLibrary

Search for libraries matching a query.

await ctx7.searchLibrary(
  query: string,        // User's question/task
  libraryName: string,  // Library name to search
  options?: {
    type: 'json' | 'txt'  // Response format (default: 'json')
  }
): Promise<Library[] | string>

getContext

Get documentation for a specific library.

await ctx7.getContext(
  query: string,      // User's question/task
  libraryId: string,  // Context7 library ID (e.g., '/vercel/next.js')
  options?: {
    type: 'json' | 'txt'  // Response format (default: 'json')
  }
): Promise<Documentation[] | string>

Error Handling

import { Context7, Context7Error } from '@upstash/context7-sdk';

try {
  const ctx7 = new Context7({ apiKey: 'invalid' });
  await ctx7.searchLibrary('query', 'library');
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof Context7Error) {
    console.error('Context7 error:', error.message);
  }
}

CLI

The ctx7 CLI provides tools for authentication and quick MCP setup.

Installation

npx (Recommended)

npx ctx7 --help

npm install -g ctx7
ctx7 --help

Commands

setup

Configure Context7 MCP for your AI coding agents:

# Interactive setup
npx ctx7 setup

# Setup for specific agent
npx ctx7 setup --cursor
npx ctx7 setup --claude
npx ctx7 setup --opencode

# Project-specific setup
npx ctx7 setup --project

# Use existing API key
npx ctx7 setup --api-key ctx7sk_...

# Use OAuth endpoint
npx ctx7 setup --oauth

This command:

• Authenticates via OAuth (or uses provided API key)
• Generates API key automatically if using OAuth
• Configures MCP server in your agent’s config file
• Adds a rule to auto-invoke Context7
• Installs Context7 skill

auth

Manage authentication:

# Log in with OAuth
npx ctx7 auth login

# Log out
npx ctx7 auth logout

# Check login status
npx ctx7 auth status

skills

Manage Context7 skills:

# Search for skills
npx ctx7 skills search pdf

# Install skills
npx ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills

# List installed skills
npx ctx7 skills list

# Remove skills
npx ctx7 skills remove skillname

AI SDK Tools

Pre-built tools for Vercel AI SDK that provide Context7 functionality.

Installation

npm

npm install @upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk @upstash/context7-sdk ai zod

yarn add @upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk @upstash/context7-sdk ai zod

pnpm add @upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk @upstash/context7-sdk ai zod

Requires peer dependencies: @upstash/context7-sdk, ai (v6.0.0+), and zod (v4.0.0+)

Usage

import { resolveLibraryId, queryDocs } from '@upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk';
import { generateText } from 'ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';

const { text } = await generateText({
  model: openai('gpt-4o'),
  prompt: 'How do I create middleware in Next.js?',
  tools: {
    resolveLibraryId: resolveLibraryId({ apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...' }),
    queryDocs: queryDocs({ apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...' })
  },
  maxSteps: 5
});

console.log(text);

Available Tools

resolveLibraryId

Resolves a library name to a Context7-compatible library ID.

import { resolveLibraryId } from '@upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk';

const tool = resolveLibraryId({
  apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...' // optional, uses CONTEXT7_API_KEY env var if not provided
});

queryDocs

Fetches documentation for a library using its Context7 library ID.

import { queryDocs } from '@upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk';

const tool = queryDocs({
  apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...' // optional, uses CONTEXT7_API_KEY env var if not provided
});

Context7 Agent

A pre-configured agent that combines both tools:

import { Context7Agent } from '@upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';

const agent = new Context7Agent({
  model: openai('gpt-4o'),
  apiKey: 'ctx7sk_...',
  maxSteps: 5
});

const result = await agent.run(
  'Show me how to implement caching in Redis with Node.js'
);

console.log(result.text);

System Prompts

The package exports system prompts that you can use in your own agents:

import {
  SYSTEM_PROMPT,
  AGENT_PROMPT,
  RESOLVE_LIBRARY_ID_DESCRIPTION,
  QUERY_DOCS_DESCRIPTION
} from '@upstash/context7-tools-ai-sdk';

Getting an API Key

1. Visit the dashboard

   Go to context7.com/dashboard

2. Sign in

   Authenticate with your GitHub, Google, or email account

3. Generate API key

   Click “Create API Key” and give it a name

4. Copy the key

   Copy your API key (starts with ctx7sk_) and store it securely

API keys provide higher rate limits than anonymous access. Keep your API key secure and never commit it to version control.

Environment Variables

All packages support the CONTEXT7_API_KEY environment variable:

export CONTEXT7_API_KEY=ctx7sk_...

Or add to your .env file:

CONTEXT7_API_KEY=ctx7sk_...

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Get Context7 running in under 5 minutes

API Reference

Explore the REST API documentation

Adding Libraries

Submit your library to Context7

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions