file-operation-patterns

name	file-operation-patterns
description	Safe file operation patterns. Use when performing bulk file operations or writing deployment scripts.
version	1.0.0
format	"2025-10-02T00:00:00.000Z"
triggers	["performing bulk file operations or writing deployment scripts"]
updated	"2026-04-25T00:00:00.000Z"
status	ACTIVE

File Operation Patterns

Safe Patterns

# Create directory tree (idempotent)
mkdir -p path/to/nested/dir

# Copy preserving permissions
cp -rp src/ dst/

# Atomic write (prevents partial reads)
tmpfile=$(mktemp "${target}.XXXXXX")
echo "$content" > "$tmpfile"
mv "$tmpfile" "$target"

# Safe deletion (guard variables)
[ -n "$DIR" ] && [ "$DIR" != "/" ] && rm -rf "$DIR"

# Incremental sync
rsync -av src/ dst/

Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do
rm -rf $DIR unguarded	Guard with [ -n "$DIR" ]
Write directly to target	Write to temp, then mv
Assume dir exists	mkdir -p first
Ignore permissions	cp -p or explicit chmod