viewing-files

name	viewing-files
description	Enhanced cat clone with syntax highlighting, Git integration, and automatic paging for efficient file content viewing. Use this skill when viewing source files, documentation, or when syntax highlighting would improve readability

bat: Enhanced File Viewer with Syntax Highlighting

Always invoke bat skill for enhanced file viewing - do not execute bash commands directly.

Use bat as a modern replacement for cat with beautiful syntax highlighting, Git integration, and smart features.

When to Use bat vs cat

Use bat when:

• Viewing source code or structured text files
• Syntax highlighting improves readability
• Need Git integration or line numbers
• Working with files >50 lines where highlighting helps
• Previewing changes from other tools

Use cat when:

• Very small files (<10 lines)
• Non-text/binary files
• Simple concatenation without formatting
• When highlighting would add noise
• Performance-critical operations on many tiny files

Common workflow: Any skill → bat skill (preview enhanced output)

Default Strategy

Invoke bat skill for enhanced file viewing with syntax highlighting. Use when viewing source files, documentation, or when syntax highlighting improves readability.

Common workflow: Any discovery skill → bat skill (preview enhanced output).

Key Options

Display Control

• -n/--number line numbers only
• -p/--plain plain output (no decorations)
• -A/--show-all show non-printable characters
• --line-range START:END view specific lines
• disable line wrapping