# FileReadTool !!! note "Experimental" We are still working on improving tools, so there might be unexpected behavior or changes in the future. ## Description The FileReadTool is a versatile component of the crewai_tools package, designed to streamline the process of reading and retrieving content from files. It is particularly useful in scenarios such as batch text file processing, runtime configuration file reading, and data importation for analytics. This tool supports various text-based file formats including `.txt`, `.csv`, `.json` and more, and adapts its functionality based on the file type, for instance, converting JSON content into a Python dictionary for easy use. ## Installation Install the crewai_tools package to use the FileReadTool in your projects: ```shell pip install 'crewai[tools]' ``` ## Example To get started with the FileReadTool: ```python from crewai_tools import FileReadTool # Initialize the tool to read any files the agents knows or lean the path for file_read_tool = FileReadTool() # OR # Initialize the tool with a specific file path, so the agent can only read the content of the specified file file_read_tool = FileReadTool(file_path='path/to/your/file.txt') ``` ## Arguments - `file_path`: The path to the file you want to read. It accepts both absolute and relative paths. Ensure the file exists and you have the necessary permissions to access it.