Read File

Q: What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Read File skill fit in?

A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Read File is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the General category. Learn more at https://claudskills.com/learn/what-is-skill-md/.

Category: General · Sub-category: operations · Last updated: 2026-08-19

Extract the actual text/content from a file of ANY format — PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images, scans, archives. The canonical "how do I read this file" reference, reused by process-file, Pulse ingestion, and browser downloads.

Security AStatic scan found no risk patternsHow grading works ›

From the source SKILL.md

There is no dedicated document-reading tool — you extract the content yourself with the shell (the same approach AgentWorks uses: write a little Python and run it via execute_shell_command). Always start by identifying the file, then use the tool that is already installed for that format. Do NOT reach for a tool that isn't there (e.g. pdftotext/poppler and libreoffice/soffice are NOT installed on this machine — don't use them).

file "<path>"        # what is it, really? (extension can lie)

What this skill does

Read File is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the operations sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/read-file/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.

Who uses this skill

The Read File Claude Code skill is built for Claude Code users and developers across all disciplines looking for general-purpose AI assistance. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 187,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).

How to install

Free

Manual install (2 steps)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/read-file
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/read-file/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.claude/skills/read-file/SKILL.md

Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/read-file/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.

Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/read-file/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\read-file\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.

📱 Install from your phone or desktop Telegram

Open @claudskills_bot on Telegram, tap Open Desktop App, and the desktop app installs this skill for you. Or share the bot link with a colleague — they get the same one-tap install. Learn more →

Pro

One-click install via the desktop app

The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.

Pro

For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.

See pricing → Download desktop app

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Read File Claude Code skill?

Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy SKILL.md from the source repository to ~/.claude/skills/read-file/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at claudskills.com/install/.

What does the Read File skill do?

Is this skill free to install?

Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.

When should I use the Read File skill?

Use Read File when your Claude Code task falls under the General category — specifically in the operations area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use Read File" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at /category/general/.

What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Read File skill fit in?

A Claude Code skill is a SKILL.md file that lives under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Read File is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the General category. Learn more at /learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.

Attribution & license

Source: https://github.com/manishiitg/coding-agent-loop/blob/HEAD/agent_go/cmd/family-server/skills/read-file/SKILL.md
Author: manishiitg
Website: https://agentworkshq.com/

Cite this skill

If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:

APA

manishiitg. (2026). Read File [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/read-file/

BibTeX

@misc{read-file-2026,
  author    = {manishiitg},
  title     = {Read File [Claude Code skill]},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {ClaudSkills},
  url       = {https://claudskills.com/skills/read-file/}
}

Embed this skill

Promote, attribute, or link this skill from your own README, blog post, or documentation. All three snippets are free to use — no sign-up, no API key. More distribution surfaces →

Badge

[![ClaudSkills](https://claudskills.com/badge/read-file.svg)](https://claudskills.com/skills/read-file/?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=skill_badge)

Security scan

Grade A · scanned 2026-08-19 — free static scan against the OWASP Agentic Skills Top 10.

No risk patterns were found in any of the ten OWASP-aligned categories. How grading works ›

✓ Prompt injection
✓ Data exfiltration
✓ Supply chain
✓ Reverse shell
✓ Credentials
✓ Execution
✓ Filesystem
✓ Persistence
✓ Obfuscation
✓ Network

Show this grade on your repo (click to copy):

[![Security: A](https://img.shields.io/badge/Security-A-2e7d32)](https://claudskills.com/skills/read-file/#security)

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Browse all General skills in the ClaudSkills registry, or explore these other picks from the same category:

Browse all General skills → Top 100 skills

Part of ClaudSkills — the open registry for Claude Skills & Claude Code Skills. · What's New · Install guide · About · llms.txt

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