looking-up-docs · diff

git:20260716.29b4d22 to git:20260928.aef806a

34 added, 98 removed. Audit A to A.

---

description: Find exact, version-correct library/API/framework docs through one lookup

workflow. Use when the user says "look up docs", "how to use", "API for", "syntax

for", "examples of", "show me the docs", mentions "ctx7"/"Context7", passes a `/org/project`

library ID, or needs API signatures, config keys, syntax, examples, or versioned

docs. NOT for comparisons, current-state or release-behavior questions, best-practice

surveys, or recent ecosystem news — use researching-web.

name: looking-up-docs

---

# Documentation Lookup

- Get grounded, version-correct docs for a library, framework, CLI, or API.

- Never answer syntax or API questions from memory when lookup tools are available.

- ## Scope

- Use this skill for:

- - API signatures, options, config keys, syntax, and examples.

- - Versioned API behavior of a known library, framework, language, CLI, or

- standard library when the question is how to call or configure it.

- - Context7 docs lookup, including explicit `ctx7`, `Context7`, or `/org/project`

- library-ID requests.

- - Confirming versioned API behavior before writing code against an external API.

- Do not use this skill for:

- - Comparisons, recommendations, market research, current-state questions,

- release-behavior questions, or best-practice surveys; route to `researching-web`.

- - Repo-specific questions; search local files first.

- - External queries containing secrets, credentials, personal data, private

- payloads, or proprietary code.

- ## Reference Files

- Read only what the question needs:

- - `references/context7-cli.md` — Context7 lookup commands, selection rules,

- limits, and fallbacks.

- - `references/official-sources.md` — primary docs and registries by ecosystem.

- - `references/web-tools.md` — platform web tools, query templates, and source

- quality rules.

- ## Lookup Chain

- Run tiers in order. Stop at the first tier that yields a grounded answer. State

- which tier produced the answer and whether fallback was used.

- ### Tier 0 — Identify Package and Version

- Find the exact package, module, CLI, language version, or framework version from

- local evidence.

- If no local version is available, state `version unknown` and prefer latest

- stable official docs. Do not invent a version.

- ### Tier 1 — Context7

- Use `references/context7-cli.md` for Context7 library resolution and docs fetch.

- Best fit: versioned library and framework docs.

- Escalate when Context7 is unavailable, rate-limited, returns no useful match

- after one rephrase and one alternate library name, or returns docs for the wrong

- version.

- ### Tier 2 — Official Docs and Registries

- Use `references/official-sources.md` for language standard libraries, package

- registries, and canonical project docs. Prefer primary docs or registry-linked

- docs for the exact version.

- Use web tools only for source discovery. Ground final syntax in URL-cited primary

- sources.

- ### Tier 3 — GitHub Releases, Tags, and Source

- Use GitHub only when primary docs or registry links are missing, incomplete, or

- version-mismatched. Follow `references/official-sources.md` fallback rules.

- Do not treat random issues, PR comments, blogs, or generated summaries as

- authoritative API docs. Use them only as clues to primary sources.

+ Answer API, syntax, and config questions from version-correct sources. When a

+ lookup tool is available, do not answer syntax from memory.

- ### Tier 4 — Source Discovery or Gap Report

+ Never put secrets, credentials, personal data, private payloads, or proprietary

+ code into an external query. Strip them and still look up the public docs; if

+ the question cannot be asked without them, answer from local context and say

+ so.

- Use broad web research only to find primary docs after focused lookup fails. If

- the question becomes a comparison, trade-off, current-state, or release-behavior

- task, stop and route to `researching-web`. If no grounded source exists, report

- the gap, the version needed vs found, and the safest next step.

+ ## Lookup chain

- ## Limits and Failure Handling

+ Stop at the first tier that grounds the answer.

- - Never send secrets, credentials, private payloads, personal data, or

- proprietary code to any external tier.

- - Always use a real, specific query; never use a one-word placeholder.

- - Do not loop a tier indefinitely: one rephrase and one alternate name per tier,

- then escalate.

- - If docs are version-mismatched, state the mismatch and escalate to exact-version

- registry docs, release notes, or matching GitHub tag/source.

- - If all tiers fail, report the gap and do not fabricate syntax.

- - If external lookup would expose private data, refuse the external query and

- answer from local context only, noting the limitation.

+ - Tier 0, version: find the exact package and version from manifests,

+ lockfiles, or tool output. If there is none, say `version unknown` and use

+ the latest stable docs. Never invent a version.

+ - Tier 1, Context7: follow [references/context7-cli.md](references/context7-cli.md).

+ Treat Tier 1 as exhausted when Context7 is unavailable, rate-limited, returns

+ the wrong version, or finds nothing after one rephrase and one alternate

+ library name.

+ - Tier 2, official docs and registries: use

+ [references/official-sources.md](references/official-sources.md). Use web

+ search only to discover primary sources (the researching-web skill covers

+ platform web tools), then cite the primary URL.

+ - Tier 3, GitHub: releases, tags, and source at the matching tag, when docs are

+ missing, incomplete, or version-mismatched. Issues, PR comments, blogs, and

+ generated summaries are clues, not authority.

+ - Tier 4, gap report: state the version needed versus found, what you tried,

+ and the safest next step. Do not fabricate syntax.

- ## Response Contract

+ If the request turns into a comparison, current-state, or release-behavior

+ question, hand it to researching-web and offer a docs lookup for the chosen

+ library afterwards.

- Return a concise answer, not a workflow transcript, unless the user asks for the

- lookup process.

+ ## Response

- Include:

+ Give the answer, not a transcript of the lookup, unless the user asks for the

+ process. Include:

- 1. Library/framework/API and version, or `version unknown`.

- 2. Tier that produced the answer, and fallback used if any.

- 3. Syntax or example guidance grounded in the source.

- 4. Source URL, Context7 library ID, or GitHub tag/source path for each claim.

- 5. Boundary note when the request is actually comparison, current-state,

- release-behavior, or broad research.

+ 1. Library and version, or `version unknown`.

+ 2. The tier that produced the answer and any fallback used.

+ 3. Syntax or example grounded in the source.

+ 4. A source URL, Context7 library ID, or GitHub tag and path for each claim.

- If the user asks to describe the workflow, describe the tiers and escalation

- rules instead of answering from memory.