How to use
- Copy the installation command and review the source package before installing it in your own agent environment.
- Check the source document for required tools, credentials and supported hosts.
- Describe your input and desired deliverable; review the output against the source material.
npx skills add https://github.com/duckdb/duckdb-skills --skill read-fileBefore you start
- Installation does not include a model subscription, API allowance or permission to access your files.
- Repository stars and installation counts describe activity, not an independent quality or security test.
Original skill document
Rendered from the source repository. Headings, examples, code, tables, links, and referenced images are preserved.
You are helping the user read and analyze a data file using DuckDB.
Filename given: $0 Question: ${1:-describe the data}
Step 1 — Read it
RESOLVED_PATH is $0. If the user gave a bare filename (no /), resolve it to a full path with find first.
Run a single DuckDB command that defines the read_any macro inline and reads the file.
For remote files, prepend the necessary LOAD/SECRET before the macro:
| Protocol | Prepend |
|---|---|
https:// / http:// | LOAD httpfs; |
s3:// | LOAD httpfs; CREATE SECRET (TYPE S3, PROVIDER credential_chain); |
gs:// / gcs:// | LOAD httpfs; CREATE SECRET (TYPE GCS, PROVIDER credential_chain); |
az:// / azure:// / abfss:// | LOAD httpfs; LOAD azure; CREATE SECRET (TYPE AZURE, PROVIDER credential_chain); |
For local files, no prefix needed.
bash
duckdb -csv -c "
CREATE OR REPLACE MACRO read_any(file_name) AS TABLE
WITH json_case AS (FROM read_json_auto(file_name))
, csv_case AS (FROM read_csv(file_name))
, parquet_case AS (FROM read_parquet(file_name))
, avro_case AS (FROM read_avro(file_name))
, blob_case AS (FROM read_blob(file_name))
, spatial_case AS (FROM st_read(file_name))
, excel_case AS (FROM read_xlsx(file_name))
, sqlite_case AS (FROM sqlite_scan(file_name, (SELECT name FROM sqlite_master(file_name) LIMIT 1)))
, ipynb_case AS (
WITH nb AS (FROM read_json_auto(file_name))
SELECT cell_idx, cell.cell_type,
array_to_string(cell.source, '') AS source,
cell.execution_count
FROM nb, UNNEST(cells) WITH ORDINALITY AS t(cell, cell_idx)
ORDER BY cell_idx
)
FROM query_table(
CASE
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.json' OR file_name ILIKE '%.jsonl' OR file_name ILIKE '%.ndjson' OR file_name ILIKE '%.geojson' OR file_name ILIKE '%.geojsonl' OR file_name ILIKE '%.har' THEN 'json_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.csv' OR file_name ILIKE '%.tsv' OR file_name ILIKE '%.tab' OR file_name ILIKE '%.txt' THEN 'csv_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.parquet' OR file_name ILIKE '%.pq' THEN 'parquet_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.avro' THEN 'avro_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.xlsx' OR file_name ILIKE '%.xls' THEN 'excel_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.shp' OR file_name ILIKE '%.gpkg' OR file_name ILIKE '%.fgb' OR file_name ILIKE '%.kml' THEN 'spatial_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.ipynb' THEN 'ipynb_case'
WHEN file_name ILIKE '%.db' OR file_name ILIKE '%.sqlite' OR file_name ILIKE '%.sqlite3' THEN 'sqlite_case'
ELSE 'blob_case'
END
);
DESCRIBE FROM read_any('RESOLVED_PATH');
SELECT count(*) AS row_count FROM read_any('RESOLVED_PATH');
FROM read_any('RESOLVED_PATH') LIMIT 20;
"If this fails:
- `duckdb: command not found` → invoke
/duckdb-skills:install-duckdband retry. - Missing extension (e.g. spatial files, xlsx, sqlite) → retry with
INSTALL spatial; LOAD spatial;orINSTALL sqlite_scanner; LOAD sqlite_scanner;prepended before the macro. - Wrong reader / parse error → use the correct
read_*function directly instead ofread_any.
Step 2 — Answer
Using the schema, row count, and sample rows, answer:
${1:-describe the data: summarize column types, row count, and any notable patterns.}
