file_read
Files & Finder · macOS · Windows
Effect: read (strongest supported action). Status: gated.
Gated means the tool requires an installed app, a connected account, permission, or runtime availability. Check those requirements on the listed platform before using it.
macOS
Purpose
Reads a plain text file from the local filesystem by its absolute path — the primary, default tool for reading a local text file (use this unless the file is a PDF, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document, which have their own readers). Reads anywhere on this Mac — home, external disks, cloud drives, /tmp — with one exception: credential and identity locations (keychains, ~/.ssh, ~/.aws, browser logins, another user's home, Time Machine backups) are never read. Supports .txt, .md, .csv, .json, .xml, .log, .yaml, .toml and common code file types; auto-detects UTF-8 with Latin-1/Windows-1252 fallback. For files in OneDrive use onedrive_read_file, in Google Drive gdrive_read_file; for PDFs pdf_read, Word word_read, Excel excel_read.
Required inputs
path— Absolute path to the file
Permissions and confirmation
No explicit confirmation parameter is exposed in this snapshot. This does not grant permission to act: obtain user authorization before any real action.
- Use only the apps, accounts and resources authorized by the user on this platform. Consult this tool's platform-specific description for its connection and permission requirements; this catalog does not assert additional OAuth scopes or OS entitlements.
Full input schema — macOS
{
"properties": {
"max_bytes": {
"description": "Maximum bytes to read (default 1 MB, max 10 MB)",
"type": "integer"
},
"offset": {
"description": "Start reading at this byte offset (default 0)",
"type": "integer"
},
"path": {
"description": "Absolute path to the file",
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"path"
],
"type": "object"
}Documentation example
Do not execute this example. These concrete inputs refer to a fictional demonstration dataset. Resolve real handles and obtain user authorization before any real call.
{
"path": "/Users/demo/Documents/meeting-notes.txt"
}Windows
Purpose
Reads a plain-text file from the local filesystem by its absolute path — the default tool for reading a local text file (use pdf_read/word_read/excel_read/ppt_read for those document types, onedrive_read_file / gdrive_read_file for cloud storage). The path must be inside an allowed folder (the home directory by default; extend via the config key fs_allowed_roots). Supports offset/max_bytes for chunked reads of large files.
Required inputs
path— Absolute path to the file (a leading ~ is expanded).
Permissions and confirmation
No explicit confirmation parameter is exposed in this snapshot. This does not grant permission to act: obtain user authorization before any real action.
- Use only the apps, accounts and resources authorized by the user on this platform. Consult this tool's platform-specific description for its connection and permission requirements; this catalog does not assert additional OAuth scopes or OS entitlements.
Full input schema — Windows
{
"properties": {
"max_bytes": {
"description": "Maximum bytes to read (default 1 MB, max 10 MB).",
"type": "integer"
},
"offset": {
"description": "Start reading at this byte offset (default 0).",
"type": "integer"
},
"path": {
"description": "Absolute path to the file (a leading ~ is expanded).",
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"path"
],
"type": "object"
}Documentation example
Do not execute this example. These concrete inputs refer to a fictional demonstration dataset. Resolve real handles and obtain user authorization before any real call.
{
"path": "C:\\Users\\demo\\Documents\\meeting-notes.txt"
}