read_file
Read file contents or extract data from a URL with customizable offset and length parameters. Supports text and image files (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP), ensures directory access control, and requires absolute paths for reliability.
Instructions
Read the contents of a file from the file system or a URL with optional offset and length parameters.
Prefer this over 'execute_command' with cat/type for viewing files.
Supports partial file reading with:
- 'offset' (start line, default: 0)
- 'length' (max lines to read, default: configurable via 'fileReadLineLimit' setting, initially 1000)
When reading from the file system, only works within allowed directories.
Can fetch content from URLs when isUrl parameter is set to true
(URLs are always read in full regardless of offset/length).
Handles text files normally and image files are returned as viewable images.
Recognized image types: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP.
IMPORTANT: Always use absolute paths (starting with '/' or drive letter like 'C:\') for reliability. Relative paths may fail as they depend on the current working directory. Tilde paths (~/...) might not work in all contexts. Unless the user explicitly asks for relative paths, use absolute paths.
This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| isUrl | No | ||
| length | No | ||
| offset | No | ||
| path | Yes |
Input Schema (JSON Schema)
{
"$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"additionalProperties": false,
"properties": {
"isUrl": {
"default": false,
"type": "boolean"
},
"length": {
"default": 1000,
"type": "number"
},
"offset": {
"default": 0,
"type": "number"
},
"path": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"path"
],
"type": "object"
}