read

Read Tool

Read a file's contents with line numbers.

REQUIRED: path (absolute path) OPTIONAL: limit (max lines), offset (start line, 0-indexed)

RULES:

• Always use absolute paths, never relative
• Use limit+offset for large files (read in chunks of 100-200 lines)
• Returns format: "N\tline_content" (tab-separated line number + content)

EXAMPLE:

{"name": "Read", "input": {"path": "/absolute/path/to/file.py"}}

EXAMPLE with range:

{"name": "Read", "input": {"path": "/absolute/path/to/file.py", "limit": 50, "offset": 100}}

Workflow

1. Use absolute paths: Always provide the full absolute path to the file
2. Read in chunks: For large files, use limit and offset to read 100-200 lines at a time
3. Check line numbers: Output includes line numbers to reference specific locations
4. Combine with edit: Read a file before editing to get exact content for oldText