Use chub CLI

Use chub to fetch current third-party documentation before writing code or answering API questions. Do not start chub-mcp unless the user explicitly asks for MCP.

Choose the command

• Prefer the global command:

```bash

chub --help

```

• If chub is not on PATH, use a repository-local entrypoint when one exists. In this repository:

```bash

node ./cli/bin/chub --help

```

• Keep the command form consistent within the same task.

Workflow

1. Search for the right entry

Search by vendor first, then by capability. Use --json when the output needs to be consumed reliably.

chub search "openai"
chub search "stripe webhook" --json
chub search "pinecone vector db" --json

Follow these rules:

• Prefer entries whose name, description, and tags all match the task.
• If there are too many results, broaden once and then narrow.
• If the user already provided an ID, run chub search to confirm details.

2. Fetch the minimum necessary content

Fetch the entry point first. Pull additional files only when deeper detail is required.

chub get openai/chat --lang py
chub get stripe/api --lang js
chub get tavily/sdk --lang ts

Follow these rules:

• Omit --lang only when the entry has a single language variant.
• Use --file after the CLI shows Additional files available.
• Use --full only when multiple reference files are genuinely needed.

3. Drill down selectively

chub get openai/chat --lang py --file references/streaming.md
chub get datahub/sdk --lang py --file references/search.md
chub get tavily/tavily-best-practices --full

Follow these rules:

• Read the entry point before loading reference files.
• Load only the files required to solve the current task.
• Avoid --full for narrow questions.

4. Implement from the fetched docs

Follow these rules:

• Treat chub get output as the source of truth instead of relying on memory.
• Use the initialization pattern, method names, parameters, and version constraints shown in the docs.
• If repository code conflicts with the docs, call out the conflict before choosing the safest implementation.
• If chub has no matching entry, say so explicitly before falling back to official docs or user-provided material.

5. Capture local learning

If you discover a validated gotcha that the doc does not state clearly, save a local annotation:

chub annotate stripe/api "Webhook verification requires the raw request body before JSON parsing."

Capture only:

• Project-specific constraints
• Environment-specific differences
• Version-specific gotchas
• Validated conclusions missing from the docs

Do not capture:

• Information already stated clearly in the doc
• Unverified guesses
• Long process notes

6. Ask before sending feedback

If the docs are clearly outdated or poor, suggest feedback, but do not send it without user approval:

chub feedback openai/chat up
chub feedback stripe/api down --label outdated

Decision rules

• If the task asks for current SDK or API usage, run search and then get.
• If the user gives only a vendor name, search first and then choose the closest capability match.
• If the user wants a specific implementation language, include --lang.
• If the task is about one detail, prefer --file over --full.
• If the user dislikes MCP or the task only needs one-shot documentation lookup, stay with the CLI.

Failure handling

• No results: retry once with a broader query.
• Ambiguous matches: ask the user to confirm, or choose the best match based on the descriptions.
• Language mismatch: switch to an available language or state that the needed language is missing.
• chub not installed globally: use a repository-local entrypoint when available.

Quick examples

• "Write a Python Responses API example with the OpenAI SDK"

Run chub search "openai" --json, then chub get openai/chat --lang py.

• "Fix Stripe webhook verification errors"

Run chub search "stripe webhook" --json, then chub get stripe/api --lang js, and fetch reference files only if needed.

• "Show how Tavily should be used in an agent workflow"

Run chub search "tavily" --json, then chub get tavily/tavily-best-practices.

Attribution

This skill is adapted from Context Hub and its bundled get-api-docs skill:

• Repository: https://github.com/andrewyng/context-hub
• Upstream skill: cli/skills/get-api-docs/SKILL.md
• Original license: MIT

This version was modified for general-purpose publishing and reuse.