Filesystem Skill Claude Code Built-in Tools Reading Files

Read Tool: Read file contents

Read file_path="/path/to/file.txt"

Options:

offset: Start line (for large files) limit: Number of lines to read Finding Files

Glob Tool: Find files by pattern

Glob pattern="*/.ts"

Common patterns:

/*.ts - All TypeScript files src//.tsx - React components in src /test.js - Test files anywhere Searching Content

Grep Tool: Search file contents

Grep pattern="function myFunc" path="/src"

Options:

output_mode: "content", "files_with_matches", or "count" -A, -B, -C: Context lines Writing Files

Write Tool: Create or overwrite files

Write file_path="/path/to/file.txt" content="..."

Edit Tool: Modify existing files

Edit file_path="/path/to/file.txt" old_string="..." new_string="..."

Directory Operations

Bash Tool: For directory operations

List directory

ls -la /path/to/dir

Create directory

mkdir -p /path/to/new/dir

Move/rename

mv /old/path /new/path

Common Workflows Reading Multiple Files

Read files in parallel (multiple Read calls in one message)

Read file_path="/src/app.ts" Read file_path="/src/config.ts" Read file_path="/src/utils.ts"

Search and Read

1. Find files

Glob pattern="*/.config.ts"

2. Read matching files

Read file_path="/path/from/glob/result"

Find and Replace

1. Search for pattern

Grep pattern="oldFunction" path="/src"

2. Edit each file

Edit file_path="/src/file.ts" old_string="oldFunction" new_string="newFunction"

Best Practices Read Before Edit: Always read a file before editing it Use Glob Over Bash: Prefer Glob to find for file discovery Use Grep Over Bash: Prefer Grep to grep for searching Parallel Reads: Read multiple files in one message for speed Verify Changes: Read file after editing to verify

Glob pattern="src/*/.ts"

Then read the results

Read file_path="/src/app.ts"

Search for a function and edit it:

Grep pattern="export function oldName" path="/src"

Found in /src/utils.ts:23

Edit file_path="/src/utils.ts" old_string="export function oldName" new_string="export function newName"

Rules Always read files before editing Use built-in tools (Read, Glob, Grep) instead of bash equivalents Verify changes after editing Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting:

cat .claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing:

New pattern -> .claude/context/memory/learnings.md Issue found -> .claude/context/memory/issues.md Decision made -> .claude/context/memory/decisions.md

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: Your context may reset. If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.