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Agent skill

Cited File Reader

by pilinux in pilinux/gorest

Reads only the lines needed from a source file and answers with a short summary and path:line citations, without changing anything.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Cited File Reader

skills CLI
$ npx skills add pilinux/gorest --skill file-reader -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install pilinux/gorest file-reader --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/pilinux/gorest.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/file-reader .claude/skills/file-reader && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
file-reader
GitHub stars
506
Token cost
~250 tokens
SKILL.md length
100 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
20
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Reads only the lines needed from a source file and answers with a short summary and path:line citations, without changing anything.

  • Asking for the exact lines of a function, struct or constant
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, Responsibilities, Rules and Output, plus 2 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • Getting a short, cited summary of what one file does

What it does

This is a read-only lookup skill. When you ask for exact lines, a signature, a constant or a brief factual summary of a particular file or function, the agent reads as little as it needs and prefers targeted reads over dumping a whole file. Where relevant it pulls out inputs, outputs, side effects and error handling.

The answer follows a fixed shape: a summary of two to six sentences, minimal code snippets labeled with `path:line`, and one or two suggested follow-up paths. The skill forbids modifying files and running shell commands. It points to separate skills for explaining code in depth and for locating files.

When your agent uses it

  • Asking for the exact lines of a function, struct or constant
  • Getting a short, cited summary of what one file does
  • Checking a signature or error handling before editing nearby code

Example prompts

  • “Show the password hashing implementation in lib/ with exact lines.”
  • “What does the Auth model look like, including its struct tags?”
  • “Quote the rate limit constants in config.go with line numbers.”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 38aab64. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Cited File Reader loads about 250 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 31 tokens; SKILL.md has 100 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~31
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~250

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from pilinux/gorest at commit 38aab64, republished under its MIT licence (© pilinux). 100 words, ~250 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/file-reader/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
file-reader
description
Precisely read source files or snippets and return concise, citation-backed facts needed for decisions or edits.
license
MIT
metadata.mode
read-only
metadata.purpose
reading

File Reader

When to Use

  • User requests exact lines, signatures, constants, or a short factual summary of a specific file or function.

Responsibilities

  • Read only the minimum necessary lines and provide path:line citations.
  • Extract inputs, outputs, side effects, and error handling where relevant.

Rules

  • Do not modify files or run shell commands.
  • Prefer targeted reads over whole-file dumps.

Output

  • 2-6 sentence summary.
  • Minimal code snippets (only necessary lines) with path:line.
  • Suggested follow-ups (1-2 paths).

Examples

  • "Show the password hashing implementation in lib/ with exact lines."
  • "What does model.Auth look like including struct tags?"
  • explain-code (synthesis), code-navigation (locate files)

© pilinux, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/file-reader of pilinux/gorest.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 38aab64

Compare with similar skills

Cited File Reader next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Cited File Reader compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Cited File Reader this skillpilinux/gorest506—~250Automated safety check: PassMIT
Codebase Knowledge Graph Q&AEgonex-AI/Understand-Anything86k1 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Understand ExplainEgonex-AI/Understand-Anything86k1 repos~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Repomix Codebase Exploreryamadashy/repomix29k1 repos~2.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Code Graph Mermaid Diagramstrailofbits/skills7.4k1 repos~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassCC-BY-SA-4.0
Project Onboarding Guide from Knowledge GraphEgonex-AI/Understand-Anything86k—~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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  • Codebase Knowledge Graph Q&A

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  • Understand Explain

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More from pilinux/gorest

All 20 skills in this repo

  • Config Loader Helper

    pilinux/gorest

    Diagnoses configuration failures in the gorest project by listing the required environment variables grouped by feature and giving minimal commands for a safe local test setup.

    506 GitHub stars~441 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
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  • Go AST Code Introspection

    pilinux/gorest

    Enumerates Go declarations and signatures from the syntax tree, then proposes small, mechanically safe refactors with file and line citations.

    506 GitHub stars~414 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
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  • Local Build and Run

    pilinux/gorest

    Builds and runs a Go project locally to reproduce compile or runtime problems safely, using test environment variables and mocks instead of production credentials.

    506 GitHub stars~362 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
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  • Code Navigation

    pilinux/gorest

    Rapid, focused navigation to locate definitions/usages and map the impact of proposed changes.

    506 GitHub stars~354 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Cited Code Explainer

    pilinux/gorest

    Explains how a module behaves in a few short, read-only sections, with a path-and-line citation behind every non-trivial claim.

    506 GitHub stars~244 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
    Auto-check passed

  • Fix Suggester

    pilinux/gorest

    Diagnose failures and propose minimal, test-backed fixes with verification and rollback instructions.

    506 GitHub stars~251 tokensUpdated 12 days ago
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Categories

Questions about Cited File Reader

What does Cited File Reader do?

Reads only the lines needed from a source file and answers with a short summary and path:line citations, without changing anything. This is a read-only lookup skill. When you ask for exact lines, a signature, a constant or a brief factual summary of a particular file or function, the agent reads as little as it needs and prefers targeted reads over dumping a whole file.

When should I use Cited File Reader?

Cited File Reader fits situations like: asking for the exact lines of a function, struct or constant; getting a short, cited summary of what one file does; checking a signature or error handling before editing nearby code.

How do I install Cited File Reader in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add pilinux/gorest --skill file-reader -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/file-reader in pilinux/gorest) into .claude/skills/file-reader in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Cited File Reader in Codex?

Run `npx skills add pilinux/gorest --skill file-reader -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/file-reader in pilinux/gorest) into .agents/skills/file-reader in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Cited File Reader in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add pilinux/gorest --skill file-reader -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/file-reader, .gemini/skills/file-reader, .github/skills/file-reader and .opencode/skills/file-reader in your project.

What does Cited File Reader need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Cited File Reader is instructions for the agent only.

Does Cited File Reader access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Cited File Reader safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Cited File Reader use?

Cited File Reader is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Cited File Reader use?

About 250 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Cited File Reader?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Cited File Reader: Codebase Knowledge Graph Q&A (Egonex-AI/Understand-Anything, 86k stars), Understand Explain (Egonex-AI/Understand-Anything, 86k stars), Repomix Codebase Explorer (yamadashy/repomix, 29k stars) and Code Graph Mermaid Diagrams (trailofbits/skills, 7.4k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Cited File Reader?

pilinux (a GitHub user) maintains it in pilinux/gorest, which has 506 GitHub stars. The repository holds 20 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 25, 2026.

Source: pilinux/gorest on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.