Context7 – Upstash, an open-source AI-powered programming assistance tool, enables real-time access to the latest documentation of the code repository

What is Context7

Context7 is an AI-powered tool developed by Upstash that provides large language models (LLMs) and AI coding assistants with the most up-to-date, version-specific documentation and code snippets. Through steps like document parsing, enrichment, vectorization, and re-ranking, it ensures developers get accurate and current code examples and technical references.

Context7 supports a range of tools such as Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop by integrating via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Developers simply add use context7 to their prompts to automatically retrieve relevant context, improving the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated code. It’s especially suited for fast-changing frameworks or niche packages, significantly reducing the risk of outdated or hallucinated code.

Context7 is easy to install and configure, with multiple installation options including Smithery, Docker, and more.

Key Features of Context7

Real-Time Documentation Retrieval: Pulls the latest code examples and documentation directly from official sources (e.g., GitHub, official docs), ensuring developers always access current information.
Version-Specific Matching: Matches documentation and examples with the specific version of the target library to avoid version mismatch issues.
Seamless Integration: Simply adding use context7 to prompts triggers contextual injection, integrating with multiple MCP-compatible clients such as Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Desktop.
Reduced Hallucinated Code: Minimizes the chances of AI generating non-existent APIs or outdated code, improving accuracy.
Multi-Platform Support: Compatible with various development tools including Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more.
Precise Context Extraction: Extracts clean, relevant code snippets and explanations from the latest docs—free from clutter.
Broad Library Coverage: Supports over 6,000 popular libraries, including most mainstream frameworks.
Free for Personal Use: Up to 50 free queries per day for individual users.
resolve_library_id: Identifies specific packages based on fuzzy keywords.
get_library_docs: Retrieves actual documentation content, not just search results.

How Context7 Works

Parse: Extracts code snippets and examples from official documentation.
Enrich: Adds brief explanations and metadata using LLMs.
Vectorize: Embeds content for semantic search.
Re-rank: Scores results based on relevance using custom algorithms.
Cache: Uses Redis to deliver requests with optimal performance.

Installation and Configuration

Node.js: Requires Node.js >= v18.0.0.
Installation Methods:
◦ Via Smithery:
■ Claude Desktop:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @upstash/context7-mcp --client claude
◦ In Cursor:
■ Open Settings -> Cursor Settings -> MCP -> Add new global MCP server.
■ Or add the following configuration to the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file:

<span class="token punctuation">{</span>
  <span class="token property">"mcpServers"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
    <span class="token property">"context7"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
      <span class="token property">"command"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"npx"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
      <span class="token property">"args"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">[</span><span class="token string">"-y"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"@upstash/context7-mcp"</span><span class="token punctuation">]</span>
    <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
  <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
<span class="token punctuation">}</span>

Installation in Windsurf:

<span class="token punctuation">{</span>
  <span class="token property">"mcpServers"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
    <span class="token property">"context7"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
      <span class="token property">"command"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"npx"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
      <span class="token property">"args"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">[</span><span class="token string">"-y"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"@upstash/context7-mcp"</span><span class="token punctuation">]</span>
    <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
  <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
<span class="token punctuation">}</span>

Install in VS Code:

<span class="token punctuation">{</span>
  <span class="token property">"servers"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
    <span class="token property">"Context7"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
      <span class="token property">"type"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"stdio"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
      <span class="token property">"command"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"npx"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
      <span class="token property">"args"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">[</span><span class="token string">"-y"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"@upstash/context7-mcp"</span><span class="token punctuation">]</span>
    <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
  <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
<span class="token punctuation">}</span>

Install using Docker:

Create a Dockerfile：

FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

# Install the latest version globally
RUN npm install -g @upstash/context7-mcp

# Expose default port if needed (optional, depends on MCP client interaction)
# EXPOSE 3000

# Default command to run the server
CMD ["context7-mcp"]

Build an image：

docker build -t context7-mcp .

Configure the MCP client：

<span class="token punctuation">{</span>
     <span class="token property">"mcpServers"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
       <span class="token property">"Сontext7"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">{</span>
       <span class="token property">"autoApprove"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">[</span><span class="token punctuation">]</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
       <span class="token property">"disabled"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token boolean">false</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
       <span class="token property">"timeout"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token number">60</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
         <span class="token property">"command"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"docker"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
         <span class="token property">"args"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token punctuation">[</span><span class="token string">"run"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"-i"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"--rm"</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span> <span class="token string">"context7-mcp"</span><span class="token punctuation">]</span><span class="token punctuation">,</span>
         <span class="token property">"transportType"</span><span class="token operator">:</span> <span class="token string">"stdio"</span>
       <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
     <span class="token punctuation">}</span>
<span class="token punctuation">}</span>

Context7 Project Links

Official Website: context7.com
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/upstash/context7

Application Scenarios of Context7

Customer Service Multi-turn Dialogue Management: In customer service scenarios, when users switch topics multiple times during a conversation, Context7 can maintain contextual coherence and avoid redundancy.
Long Document Analysis: For long documents (such as legal contracts), Context7 can process them in segments and consolidate key clauses, overcoming the native context length limitations of large language models (LLMs).
Real-time Data Analysis: In real-time data analysis scenarios like e-commerce user behavior monitoring, Context7 can combine historical behavior data with real-time streaming data to generate recommendations or risk alerts.
AI-assisted Programming: When using AI programming assistants like Cursor, by adding use context7, Context7 automatically fetches the latest relevant documents and code examples to help the AI model generate more accurate responses.