Use Chub CLI

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:

  chub --help
  

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

  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 <id> 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.