Usage
docs-mcp-server search <library> <query> [options]
Arguments
Name of the library to search
Options
Version of the library (optional). Supports semantic version ranges and wildcards.If not specified, searches the latest available version.
Maximum number of results to return
Only use exact version match. When disabled, searches for the specified version or earlier compatible versions.
Embedding model configuration in format provider:model-name.Must match the model used during scraping for accurate results.
URL of external pipeline worker RPC endpoint (e.g., http://localhost:8080/api).When specified, queries are sent to the remote worker.
Examples
Basic Search
# Search React documentation
docs-mcp-server search react "useState hook"
# Search specific version
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0
# Limit results
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --limit 10
Version Matching
# Search version 18.0.0 or earlier compatible versions
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0
# Only exact version 18.0.0
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0 --exact-match
# Wildcard version patterns
docs-mcp-server search typescript "types" --version 5.x
docs-mcp-server search typescript "types" --version 5.2.x
Remote Worker
# Query remote documentation index
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" \
--server-url http://worker.example.com:8080/api
Custom Embedding Model
# Ensure embedding model matches the one used during scraping
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" \
--embedding-model openai:text-embedding-3-small
Output
Search results are displayed with relevance scores:
[
{
"title": "useState",
"url": "https://react.dev/reference/react/useState",
"content": "useState is a React Hook that lets you add state to your component...",
"score": 0.89,
"library": "react",
"version": "18.0.0"
},
{
"title": "useEffect",
"url": "https://react.dev/reference/react/useEffect",
"content": "useEffect is a React Hook that lets you synchronize a component...",
"score": 0.82,
"library": "react",
"version": "18.0.0"
}
]
Version Matching Behavior
Default Behavior (Flexible Matching)
By default, the search finds the best matching version:
# Searches for 18.0.0 or earlier compatible versions
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0
# If 18.0.0 not found, may return results from 17.0.0, 16.8.0, etc.
Exact Match
Use --exact-match to only search the specified version:
# Only searches React 18.0.0, fails if not found
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0 --exact-match
Wildcard Patterns
Supports semantic versioning wildcards:
# Matches any TypeScript 5.x.x version
docs-mcp-server search typescript "types" --version 5.x
# Matches any TypeScript 5.2.x version
docs-mcp-server search typescript "types" --version 5.2.x
No Version Specified
Searches the latest available version:
# Searches the most recent React version
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks"
Relevance Scoring
Results are ranked by semantic similarity:
- 0.9-1.0: Highly relevant, very similar to query
- 0.7-0.9: Relevant, good match
- 0.5-0.7: Somewhat relevant
- < 0.5: Low relevance
The scoring is based on vector similarity using the configured embedding model.
Error Handling
Library Not Found
❌ Library 'mylib' not found in index
# Solution: Check available libraries
docs-mcp-server list
❌ Version '99.0.0' not found for library 'react'
# Solution: List available versions
docs-mcp-server list
# Or search without version constraint
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks"
[]
# The query returned no matches
# Try:
# - Broadening your query
# - Checking library/version
# - Increasing --limit
# Warning: Different embedding model may produce poor results
# Ensure --embedding-model matches the model used during scraping
Optimize Query Length
# Short, focused queries work best
docs-mcp-server search react "useState"
# Long queries may dilute relevance
docs-mcp-server search react "how do I use the useState hook in a functional component"
Adjust Limit
# Lower limits are faster
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --limit 5
# Higher limits for comprehensive results
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --limit 20
Use Specific Versions
# Faster: searches specific version
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks" --version 18.0.0 --exact-match
# Slower: searches multiple versions
docs-mcp-server search react "hooks"
See Also
- scrape - Index documentation for searching
- list - View available libraries and versions
- Embedding Models - Configure embedding providers
