1.2: Working with Files

The @ Symbol

The @ symbol is how you tell Claude about files. When you type @filename, Claude can read that file and work with its contents.

Basic File Operations

Reading a file

Summarize @report.pdf

Claude reads the entire file and provides a summary.

Analyzing multiple files

Compare @proposal-v1.docx and @proposal-v2.docx

Claude reads both files and identifies the differences.

Creating a new file

Create a meeting agenda based on @notes.txt and save it as @agenda.md

Claude reads your notes, creates an agenda, and saves it.

File Types Claude Can Work With

Claude Code can read and write many file types:

Practical Examples

Organize messy notes

Read @brainstorm.txt and organize the ideas into categories in @organized-notes.md

Extract data from a PDF

Extract all the dates and deadlines from @contract.pdf into @deadlines.csv

Reformat a document

Convert @readme.txt to proper Markdown formatting and save as @README.md

Tips for Working with Files

Be specific about output

# Good
Save the result as @summary.md

# Less clear
Put it in a file

Reference files before asking about them

# Good
Look at @data.csv and tell me the total sales

# May not work
What are the total sales?

Use descriptive filenames

Claude can infer intent from filenames. @quarterly-report.md is clearer than @doc1.md.

Common Patterns

File transformation

Read @input.csv, remove duplicates, and save as @cleaned.csv

Content extraction

Find all email addresses in @contacts.txt and list them

Batch processing

For each .txt file in this folder, create a summary and save it with the same name but .md extension

What You Can’t Do (Yet)

• Edit files that require special software (like .psd or .sketch)
• Work with binary files directly
• Access files outside your current project folder (by default)

Ready to practice? Run start 1-2 in Claude Code for hands-on exercises with files.