Files

SKILL.mdagentsreferencesscripts

Install

Install the containing plugin

/plugin install shared-skills@llm-skills

Invoke this skill after installation

/shared-skills:tail

Download tail-skill.zip

This skill is bundled inside shared-skills. Install the plugin once, then Claude Code can use any of its included skills. Browse the full plugin repository at github.com/alisonaquinas/llm-shared-skills.

SKILL.md

name: tail description: Sample file endings and monitor growing logs with tail for real-time log viewing, end-of-file inspection, and live log following. Use when the agent needs the last N lines or bytes, follow-mode monitoring of append-only files, or track log file rotation.

tail

Sample and monitor file endings and live-updating streams.

Quick Start

Verify tail is available: tail --version or man tail
Establish the command surface: man tail or tail --help
Start with a read-only probe: tail -n 10 file.txt

Intent Router

Load only the reference file needed for the active request.

references/install-and-setup.md — Installing tail (GNU, BSD) on macOS, Linux, Windows
references/cheatsheet.md — Common flags, line/byte counts, follow mode, multiple files
references/advanced-usage.md — GNU vs BSD differences, log rotation handling, large files, performance
references/troubleshooting.md — Follow mode issues, file rotation, encoding, exit codes

Core Workflow

Verify tail version and variant (GNU vs BSD): tail --version or man tail
Specify count explicitly: -n <N> for lines or -c <N> for bytes
Use -F for logs (follows by filename, survives rotation)
Use -f for regular files (follows by file descriptor)
Set bounded startup context before follow mode

Quick Command Reference

tail --version                          # Check version (GNU vs BSD)
tail -n 10 file.txt                    # Last 10 lines (explicit count)
tail -c 1024 file.bin                  # Last 1024 bytes (explicit count)
tail -n +10 file.txt                   # All lines from line 10 onward
tail -f app.log                        # Follow (append-only, not rotation)
tail -F /var/log/app.log               # Follow with rotation support
tail -n 50 -F app.log                  # Last 50 lines, then follow
tail -q -n 5 file1.txt file2.txt      # Last 5 lines, no headers
man tail                               # Full manual and options

Safety Notes

Area	Guardrail
Explicit counts	Always use `-n` or `-c` with explicit numbers; defaults (10 lines) may not match intent.
Log rotation	Use `-F` for logs that rotate; `-f` alone may lose updates when file is replaced.
Multiple files	Follow mode (`-f`) on multiple files prints clear headers; verify file source before processing.
GNU vs BSD	GNU supports `-n +N` (from line N); BSD uses same syntax but behavior may differ. Test on target platform.
Large files	tail seeks to end (efficient), but reads backward for line boundaries; very large files may be slow.
Incomplete lines	When using `-c`, output may end mid-line; subsequent processing may fail if expecting complete records.

Source Policy

Treat the installed tail behavior and man tail as runtime truth.
Use GNU Coreutils documentation (gnu.org/software/coreutils) for GNU-specific extensions.
Use BSD manual for BSD variant behavior differences.

Resource Index

scripts/install.sh — Install tail (GNU, BSD, or POSIX variant) on macOS or Linux.
scripts/install.ps1 — Install tail on Windows or any platform via PowerShell.