Read

Reads a file through the agent’s sandbox. Text files return cat -n style numbered lines so the model can cite path:line, with offset and limit for paging through large files. Images (png/jpg/jpeg/gif/webp) and binary documents (pdf/doc/docx/xls/xlsx) return as media content blocks when the model accepts media; otherwise make_read(media=False) / makeRead({ media: false }) returns a short text placeholder describing the file.

Supported in: Python, TypeScript (Node.js).

Security Warning

This tool reads files at arbitrary absolute paths with the full permissions of the process. Only use with trusted input and consider running in a sandboxed environment for production.

Example:

Python

from strands import Agent
from strands.vended_tools import read

agent = Agent(tools=[read])
agent("Read /etc/hosts and summarize what it maps.")

TypeScript

import { Agent } from '@strands-agents/sdk'
import { read } from '@strands-agents/sdk/vended-tools/read'

const agent = new Agent({ tools: [read] })
await agent.invoke('Read /etc/hosts and summarize what it maps.')

Full API reference

Tags

tool-authoring26