find-docs

Documentation lookup

ctx7 is on PATH (Home Manager, from nixpkgs). Run it as it is; the package is Nix-managed, so skip the setup and upgrade commands its --help advertises.

Two steps: resolve the library ID, then query with it.

ctx7 library <name> "<query>"
ctx7 docs <libraryId> "<query>"

Skip step 1 only when the user supplies an ID as /org/project or /org/project/version. Add --json to either step when you will parse the output rather than read it.

A query leaves the machine: keep internal identifiers, private-repository paths, and credentials out of it.

Step 1: resolve the ID

Pass a query every time — it ranks the matches, so it also separates libraries that share a name. Use the official spelling ("Next.js", not "nextjs"); when results look wrong, retry the name before rewriting the query.

ctx7 library "Next.js" "how to set up app router middleware"

Each match carries id, title, description, totalSnippets, trustScore, benchmarkScore, and versions. Prefer an exact name match with a high trustScore and more totalSnippets. When the user names a version, take the closest entry in versions and use /org/project/version as the ID.

Stop after three attempts and use the best match you have. When none is usable, say so and suggest a sharper name instead of guessing.

Step 2: query the docs

One topic per docs call: split unrelated concepts into separate calls, unless the question is about how they interact. Describe what to look up in the documentation rather than the task to complete — "React useEffect cleanup function with async operations" ranks, "hooks" returns generic results.

ctx7 docs /vercel/next.js "how to add middleware"

The output is markdown: titled code snippets and prose snippets, each with the source URL it came from. Cite that URL when the answer rests on it.

When it fails

Lookups work without a login, at a lower rate limit. On a quota error, tell the user to run ctx7 login themselves; never ask them to paste a token into chat. If they do not authenticate, answer from training knowledge and say it may be outdated — do not fall back silently.