| name | binary-files |
| description | Handling binary files (images, PDFs, archives). Never read binary contents into the conversation — use file-path-based tools or shell utilities like `file`, `ls -la`, or `identify` to inspect them. |
Never read binary file contents (images, PDFs, archives, etc.) into the conversation. Binary data will exceed the context window and cause task failure.
Transferring binary files
Use file-path-based tools that accept a file path argument — for example:
- The OneDrive
onedrive_upload_file tool (when cloud storage is connected)
- The
gws drive CLI (when Google Workspace is connected)
These tools stream the file by path, so the bytes never enter the conversation.
Inspecting binary files
Use execute_command with shell utilities that report metadata only:
file <path> — identify the formatls -la <path> — size and permissions- A short Python snippet via
python -c "..." for image dimensions, PDF page counts, etc. — only if the relevant library is already installed in the runner
These produce small text outputs that are safe to read. Do not assume tools like identify (ImageMagick) are present — check with which <tool> first if you want to use a non-standard utility.
