Context7 Skills Complete Guide: Quickly Install and Manage AI Coding Assistant Skills

What are Context7 Skills?

Context7 is a powerful AI coding assistant skill management system. It provides a centralized skill registry that allows developers to easily install, search, and manage reusable prompt templates. These skills can extend the capabilities of your AI coding assistant, enabling you to share common workflows like code reviews, commit message generation, and PDF processing across projects and teams.

Core Features:

• Unified Management: Manage and distribute all AI skills from one place.
• Quick Installation: Install skills into your AI coding assistant configuration with a single command.
• Multi-Client Support: Natively supports multiple AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode.
• Skill Registry: A centralized skill repository maintained by Context7.
• Reusable Templates: Skills are optimized prompt templates that can be reused across projects.

Install Context7 CLI

Prerequisites

Before using skills, you need to install the Context7 CLI.

Method 1: Global Installation via npm

# Install Context7 CLI globally
npm install -g ctx7

Method 2: Run directly via npx (No installation required)

If you don’t want to install globally, you can run it directly using npx:

# Example: Search for PDF skills
npx ctx7 skills search pdf

# Example: Install skill (must enter project directory first)
npx ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf

Verify Installation

After installation, verify if the CLI is working correctly:

# Check Context7 CLI version
ctx7 --version

# View help information
ctx7 --help

# View skills subcommand help
ctx7 skills --help

If the command returns version info and help content, the installation was successful.

Context7 Skills Basic Usage

Search Skills

Search available skills in the registry by keyword.

# Search for PDF related skills
ctx7 skills search pdf

# Search for TypeScript related skills
ctx7 skills search typescript

# Search for React testing related skills
ctx7 skills search react testing

Search results will display the skill name, description, and the project repository it belongs to.

Install Skills

Install Entire Skill Repository

Install all skills from a project repository to the current project:

# Install all skills from anthropics/skills repository (Interactive selection)
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills

After execution, the CLI will list available skills, and you can select which ones to install via an interactive interface.

Install Specific Skills

If you already know the skill name, you can specify it directly:

# Install only PDF skill
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf

# Install multiple skills
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf commit

Install to Specific Client

Context7 CLI automatically detects installed AI coding assistants, but you can also explicitly specify the target client:

# Install to Cursor
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --cursor

# Install to Claude Code
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude

# Install to OpenCode
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --opencode

Global Installation

Install skills to the global directory (home directory instead of current project) so they can be used by all projects:

# Install skill globally
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --global

List Installed Skills

View the list of installed skills for the current project or globally.

# List all skills installed in current project
ctx7 skills list

# List skills in Claude Code
ctx7 skills list --claude

# List skills in Cursor
ctx7 skills list --cursor

# List globally installed skills
ctx7 skills list --global

View Skill Information

Get detailed information about available skills in a project repository:

# View skill info for anthropics/skills project
ctx7 skills info /anthropics/skills

Remove Skills

Uninstall skills from the current project or globally:

# Remove PDF skill from current project
ctx7 skills remove pdf

# Remove skill from Claude Code
ctx7 skills remove pdf --claude

# Remove global skill
ctx7 skills remove pdf --global

Supported AI Coding Assistants

Context7 CLI supports several mainstream AI coding assistants, each with its own skill directory:

Context7 CLI automatically detects installed assistants on the system and provides corresponding options when installing skills.

Shortcut Commands

To improve efficiency, Context7 CLI provides command abbreviations:

# Abbreviation for skills install
ctx7 si /anthropics/skills pdf

# Equivalent to
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf

# Abbreviation for skills search
ctx7 ss pdf

# Equivalent to
ctx7 skills search pdf

Complete list of shortcuts:

• ctx7 si = ctx7 skills install
• ctx7 ss = ctx7 skills search

Practical Use Cases

Scenario 1: Install PDF Processing Skill for Claude Code

Suppose you use Claude Code as your primary AI coding assistant and want to add PDF processing capabilities:

# 1. Ensure Claude Code is installed
# 2. Install PDF skill from anthropics/skills repository
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude

# 3. Verify installation
ctx7 skills list --claude

# 4. Use the skill in Claude Code to process PDF files

After installation, the PDF skill will be placed in the .claude/skills/pdf/ directory, ready to be invoked by Claude Code.

Scenario 2: Configure Unified Code Review Workflow for Team

As a tech lead, you want all team members to use the same code review skill:

# 1. Install code review skill
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills code-review

# 2. Global install to ensure availability across all projects
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills code-review --global

# 3. Verify installation
ctx7 skills list --global

Team members can share this skill configuration to ensure code review consistency.

Scenario 3: Install Skill Set for Frontend Project

When starting a new frontend project, install all relevant skills at once:

# Install multiple frontend related skills
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills react typescript testing

# Or install to different tools respectively
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills react --cursor
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills typescript --claude

Common Issues & Solutions

Q1: Permission Error - Cannot write to skills directory

Issue: Permission denied when writing to skills directory

Solution:

# Check directory permissions
ls -la .claude/skills/

# Fix permissions (for Claude Code)
chmod 755 .claude/skills/

# Or use sudo (not recommended in dev environment)
sudo ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf

Q2: Command Not Found - ctx7 does not exist

Issue: command not found: ctx7

Solution:

# Re-install
npm install -g ctx7

# Ensure npm global path is in PATH
echo $PATH

# Manually add to PATH (depending on your shell)
# For bash, add to ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# For zsh, add to ~/.zshrc
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Verify installation
which ctx7

Q3: Search returns empty results

Issue: ctx7 skills search returns nothing

Solution:

• Check network connection
• Confirm search keyword spelling
• Try more general keywords

# Try broader search
ctx7 skills search sql    # Instead of specific-database-skill
ctx7 skills search web    # Instead of react-vue-angular

Q4: Skill exists but is invisible

Issue: Skill installed but not visible in AI coding assistant

Solution:

# List installed skills
ctx7 skills list

# If global install, check global list
ctx7 skills list --global

# Try reinstalling
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude --force

# Or remove and reinstall
ctx7 skills remove pdf --claude
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude

Q5: Skill conflicts between multiple clients

Issue: Skill versions inconsistent across different AI assistants

Solution:

# Explicitly specify version or repo for each client
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --claude
ctx7 skills install /custom/skills pdf --cursor

# Use --global to ensure same local skills across projects
ctx7 skills install /shared-skills pdf --global

Useful Tips

Tip 1: Manage Config with Environment Variables

Configure default behavior of Context7 CLI via env vars:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export CONTEXT7_DEFAULT_CLIENT="claude"
export CONTEXT7_INSTALL_GLOBAL="true"
export CONTEXT7_VERBOSE="false"

Tip 2: Batch Install Common Skills

Create a script to batch install your favorite skills:

#!/bin/bash
# ~/.config/context7/install-default-skills.sh

SKILLS_REPO="/anthropics/skills"
CLIENTS="claude cursor"

for client in $CLIENTS; do
    echo "Installing to $client..."
    ctx7 skills install $SKILLS_REPO pdf $client
    ctx7 skills install $SKILLS_REPO commit $client
    ctx7 skills install $SKILLS_REPO code-review $client
done

echo "All default skills installed!"

Usage:

chmod +x ~/.config/context7/install-default-skills.sh
~/.config/context7/install-default-skills.sh

Tip 3: Create Project-Specific Skills

You can create custom skills for a project and organize them in a local repository:

# Project Structure
my-project/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── custom-code-review/
│       │   └── skill.md
│       └── project-config/
│           └── skill.md
├── package.json
└── src/

Skill file format example:

<!-- .claude/skills/custom-code-review/skill.md -->
# Custom Code Review

Review the code changes with focus on:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance optimization
- Code maintainability
- Testing coverage

Tip 4: Maintain Skill Versions

Use git to manage skill configurations, ensuring team consistency:

# Add skill directory to version control
git add .claude/skills/
git commit -m "Add custom project skills"

# Push shared skills
git push origin main

# Team members pull to use
git pull origin main

Tip 5: Simplify Commands with Makefile

Add common skill commands to project Makefile:

# Makefile

.PHONY: install-skills list-skills update-skills

install-skills:
	@echo "Installing Context7 skills..."
	ctx7 si /anthropics/skills pdf commit code-review

list-skills:
	@echo "Listing installed skills..."
	ctx7 skills list

update-skills:
	@echo "Updating Context7 CLI..."
	npm update -g ctx7

Usage:

make install-skills
make list-skills
make update-skills

Best Practices

1. Project-Level vs Global Skills

Project-Level Skills:

# Available only in current project
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf
# Stored in: .claude/skills/pdf/

• Best for project-specific skills
• Not shared with other projects
• Managed via git version control

Global Skills:

# Available in all projects
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf --global
# Stored in: ~/.context7/skills/pdf/

• Best for general skills (e.g., code review, commit messages)
• Install once, use everywhere
• Requires team coordination

2. Skill Naming Conventions

Use clear names for custom skills:

claude/
└── skills/
    ├── frontend/
    │   ├── react-review.md
    │   ├── code-quality.md
    │   └── accessibility.md
    ├── backend/
    │   ├── api-design.md
    │   ├── security-review.md
    │   └── performance.md
    └── database/
        ├── schema-review.md
        └── query-optimization.md

3. Skill Documentation

Provide clear documentation for each skill:

<!-- .claude/skills/feature-implementation.md -->
# Feature Implementation Skill

## Purpose
Guides the AI in implementing new features according to project standards.

## Usage
When implementing a new feature, ask the AI to use this skill to ensure:
- Code follows project structure
- Tests are included
- Documentation is updated
- Performance considerations are addressed

## Requirements
- Feature must follow the established architecture
- All edge cases must be handled
- Unit tests with >80% coverage
- API documentation must be updated

4. Skill Version Management

Use git tags or semantic versioning for skills:

# Tag skill version
git tag -a skills-v1.0.0 -m "Initial skill set"

# Checkout specific version
git checkout skills-v1.0.0

# View skill change history
git log --oneline .claude/skills/

5. Regular Review and Update

Regularly check skill validity:

# List all installed skills
ctx7 skills list

# Check skill info
ctx7 skills info /anthropics/skills

# Remove deprecated skills
ctx7 skills remove old-deprecated-skill

Advanced Use Cases

Multi-Environment Configuration

Configure different skills for different dev environments:

# Dev Environment
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills debug logging

# Test Environment
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills testing mock-data

# Production Environment
ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills security performance

CI/CD Integration

Automate skill installation in CI/CD pipeline:

# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - name: Install Context7 CLI
        run: npm install -g ctx7
      - name: Install project skills
        run: ctx7 skills install /anthropics/skills pdf commit
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

Team Collaboration Workflow

Establish a shared team skill library:

# 1. Create team skill repo
git init github.com/my-team/context7-skills

# 2. Add team specific skills
mkdir -p skills/backend skills/frontend

# 3. Install team skills
ctx7 skills install /my-team/context7-skills code-style

# 4. Sync updates regularly
ctx7 skills info /my-team/context7-skills

Skill Examples

Example 1: Code Review Skill

<!-- .claude/skills/code-review.md -->
# Code Review Skill

Review the provided code changes with attention to:

1. **Functionality**: Does the code accomplish its intended purpose?
2. **Security**: Are there any security vulnerabilities?
3. **Performance**: Can the code be optimized?
4. **Maintainability**: Is the code readable and well-documented?
5. **Testing**: Are there adequate tests?

Provide specific, actionable feedback with code examples where appropriate.

Example 2: Commit Message Generator Skill

<!-- .claude/skills/commit-message.md -->
# Commit Message Generator

Generate conventional commit messages following this format:

():