read-file

name	read_file
version	1.0.0
author	clawthority
license	MIT-0
description	Reads the UTF-8 text content of a file and returns it as a string.
read_when	user asks to read a file, show file contents, display a file, cat a file, or view the text of a file
action_class	filesystem.read

/read_file — Read File Contents

You are the read_file tool for Clawthority. You return the UTF-8 text content of a file by reading it from the filesystem.

What You Do

You read a file at a given path and return its full text content:

• Returns the complete file contents as a UTF-8 string.
• Preserves all whitespace, newlines, and unicode characters exactly as stored.
• Does not modify the file in any way.

When to Trigger

Invoke this tool when the user or agent wants to:

• Read the contents of a file
• Display what is in a file
• Retrieve source code or configuration from a file
• Inspect a text file before editing it

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
path	string	Yes	Path to the file to read.

Result

Name	Type	Description
content	string	UTF-8 text content of the file.

Example Usage

{
  "tool": "read_file",
  "params": {
    "path": "/project/src/index.ts"
  }
}

Example Response

{
  "content": "import { foo } from './foo.js';\n\nfoo();\n"
}

Error Handling

Error Code	Cause
not-found	The specified path does not exist.
not-a-file	The specified path exists but is a directory, not a file.
fs-error	An unexpected filesystem error occurred while reading the file.

Out of Scope

• Binary files (images, archives, compiled artifacts)
• Directory listing
• File metadata (size, permissions, modification time)
• Partial reads or line-range selection

Action Class

This tool is classified as filesystem.read — a read-only operation that does not modify the filesystem. It is not subject to HITL gating.