Better Context (btca) skill
Better Context
The btca-local skill makes an agent clone library repositories and answer questions from their source code instead of outdated docs
- 1,155 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The skill clones repositories from links into your home folder and reads their contents
- Text from third-party code enters the agent's context and may contain instructions aimed at it
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add skills/better-contextDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The skill clones repositories from links into your home folder and reads their contents
- Text from third-party code enters the agent's context and may contain instructions aimed at it
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Better Context answers questions about libraries and frameworks from their source code. The btca-local skill triggers on the phrase «use btca»: the agent clones the repositories it needs into ~/.btca/agent/sandbox or updates ones already cloned, takes the main branch unless you ask for another, searches the code and answers with links and complete snippets including imports. Called without a question, the skill lists repositories you searched before. A second skill, btca-cli, covers the btca command: btca add connects git, local and npm resources, btca resources lists the configured ones and btca ask answers from them. The author is rewriting btca and reduced the local version to a skill.
Who it is for. For developers who ask an agent about the APIs of recent library versions and want answers from real code rather than model memory.
Good fit when
- The agent mixes up the API of a recent framework version and you need an answer from the repository code
- You need to find the implementation of a specific thing, such as writable stores in the Svelte repository
- You work in Codex or pi and want to trigger source search with the phrase «use btca»
- You need an answer about an npm package at a given version: btca ask accepts resources like npm:react@19.0.0
Not a fit when
- You need documentation search with no cloning: the skill works on repository sources
- Search should run in a separate subagent: the author says the new setup clogs the main agent's context window
- You need a stable version: the author is rewriting btca and the new version will replace the current one
Example request
use btca: how are remote functions defined in Svelte? Repository https://github.com/sveltejs/svelte.devLimitations
The skill clones repositories to disk under ~/.btca/agent/sandbox, so it needs GitHub access. The author is rewriting btca around pi agent and Node for better Windows support; the new version will replace the current one with backwards compatibility. btca-cli needs a provider connected with btca connect. Searching inside the main context uses the agent's context window, which the author admits. The btca-cli skill additionally uses btca.config.jsonc files: the project one overrides the global one in ~/.config/btca.
How to disable. Delete the btca-local and btca-cli folders from the agent's skills directory. Cloned repositories sit in ~/.btca/agent/sandbox and can be deleted like any folder.
FAQ
How do I install btca in Codex or Claude Code?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/davis7dotsh/better-context --skill btca-local. After that, write «use btca» in a prompt or invoke the skill by name with «/btca» or «$btca», depending on the agent.
Where does btca clone repositories?
Into ~/.btca/agent/sandbox. If a repository is already there the skill updates it, and a new one is cloned from main unless you name another branch.
How is btca-local different from btca-cli?
btca-local is a single skill file that searches cloned repositories. btca-cli drives the btca command: git, local and npm resources live in btca.config.jsonc, the provider connects through btca connect and questions go through btca ask.
What does the rewrite warning in the README mean?
The author is building a new version around pi agent and Node for better Windows support. It will replace the current one with backwards compatibility, and for now he kept the local version as a skill.
How do I set up resources in btca-cli?
btca add -n name link adds a git repository, -t local adds a local folder and -t npm adds a package such as npm:@types/node@22.10.1. btca resources lists the configured ones, and a question goes through btca ask -r resource -q question.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
Related
SkillsUp-to-date, version-specific library docs and code examples in your agent's context, via MCP or a CLI plus skill
Context Engine: code search and memory for an agent
Context Engine
A skill that teaches an agent to query the Context Engine code index and symbol graph before reading files directly
A local MCP server that indexes your code so the agent pulls the functions it needs instead of rereading whole files
Codex skills for Bitrix development
Bitrix Agent Skills (Core)
Four Codex skills for Bitrix and Bitrix24 development: project audit and architecture, migrating tables to Grid, FTP deploy and incident triage
A Rust CLI that packs a codebase into one prompt with a file tree, templates and token estimates
agent-skills (misaka-mikoto-tech)
agent-skills
Three skills by one author for an agent on Windows: safe PowerShell, reading Bilibili videos and working with an open Unity Editor
Comparison with similar tools
Entries that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Entry | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Context (btca) (this entry) | no | 1,155 | ||
| Context7 | yes | API key | 63,873 | serves version-specific docs and examples through MCP or CLI instead of cloning sources |
| Deepwiki MCP | no | not required | 1,386 | an MCP server that fetches ready pages from deepwiki.com instead of searching a clone of the repository |
README in short
The README states the idea in one line: ask an agent about libraries and search real source code. A warning announces the btca rewrite. The author explains that after many experiments (a custom agent, a new CLI, a pi extension, a resource system) he concluded the local version should be a skill. Install and three ways to use it follow, and the end says the web app will keep growing.
README badge
Original SKILL.md
---
name: btca-local
description: Invoke this skill when the user says "use btca"
---
# BTCA Local
BTCA Local, aka "The Better Context App Local" is a simple app defined as a skill file. The purpose of this app is to search git repos cloned onto this machine.
## the BTCA Search Workflow
<guidelines>
<guideline>
if the user includes a direct like to a github repo, always load and reference that
</guideline>
<guideline>
if the user doesn't include any specific links/repos they want you to use, do your best to guess based on the context provided
</guideline>
<guideline>
always include links/citations in your answers explaining what you found
<