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All Prompts/Tool Prompts/File Write Tool
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File Write Tool

src/tools/FileWriteTool/prompt.ts

Prompt Engineering Insight

The Write tool prompt is deliberately minimal but uses strong behavioral constraints to steer toward the Edit tool for modifications. The mandatory Read-before-Write prerequisite prevents accidental overwrites. The prohibition against documentation file creation is a notable guardrail that prevents the model from proactively generating unwanted files.

Techniques Used

behavioral-constraintsguardrailstool-use-guidancescope-limiting
prompt
Writes a file to the local filesystem.
Usage:
  • This tool will overwrite the existing file if there is one at the provided path.
  • If this is an existing file, you MUST use the Read tool first to read the file's contents. This tool will fail if you did not read the file first.
  • Prefer the Edit tool for modifying existing files — it only sends the diff. Only use this tool to create new files or for complete rewrites.
  • NEVER create documentation files (*.md) or README files unless explicitly requested by the User.
  • Only use emojis if the user explicitly requests it. Avoid writing emojis to files unless asked.

Tags

filewritecreatefilesystemoverwrite

Appears in use cases

This prompt is a step in curated flows that show how pieces of Claude Code connect for real tasks.

Project Onboarding

How /init bootstraps project understanding and generates CLAUDE.md

6 steps·Step 6

Web Research & Integration

Search, fetch, then write and validate in the repo

5 steps·Step 4

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