Read tool: error message should mention offset/limit parameters

Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Apr 20, 2026 by IanVand Closed May 31, 2026

Problem

When the Read tool hits its 256KB or 25000 token file size limit, the error message says:

File content (305.3KB) exceeds maximum allowed size (256KB)

This doesn't tell the user how to work around it. The offset and limit parameters exist and work perfectly for chunked reads, but nothing in the error points to them.

Impact

This is the #1 most frequent error pattern in my usage (9 instances in a 100-session sample). It affects anyone working with log files, session data, or large configs. Every hit requires the user to already know the workaround or look it up externally.

Suggested Fix

Append to the error message:

Use the offset and limit parameters to read a portion of the file. Example: Read(file_path, offset=0, limit=2000)

Environment

  • Claude Code CLI on Windows 11
  • Observed consistently across many sessions over 26+ days

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