nwuxxxxx/claude-chunked-write-fix

Chunked Write Recovery

Trigger: Use when encountering "Error writing file" or "Invalid tool parameters" errors during file write operations.

Purpose: Automatically recover from write failures by chunking content into smaller pieces.

Instructions

You have encountered a file write error. This typically happens when trying to write too much content at once.

Recovery Strategy:

1. Identify the failed write operation

   • What file were you trying to write?
   • What was the approximate size of the content?

2. Chunk the content aggressively

   • Split content into chunks of maximum 200 lines each
   • For very large files (>1000 lines), use 150-line chunks
   • Count actual lines, not estimated size

3. Execute chunked write

   • First chunk: Use Write tool to create the file
   • Remaining chunks: Use Edit tool with append operations
   • Add a unique placeholder comment at the end of each chunk (except the last) to help with appending

4. Verification

   • After completing all chunks, read the file to verify completeness
   • Check that no content was lost between chunks

Example Pattern

# For a 500-line file:

# Chunk 1 (lines 1-200): Write tool
Write(file_path, content_lines_1_to_200)

# Chunk 2 (lines 201-400): Edit tool (append)
Edit(file_path, old_string="[end of chunk 1]", new_string="[end of chunk 1]\n" + content_lines_201_to_400)

# Chunk 3 (lines 401-500): Edit tool (append)
Edit(file_path, old_string="[end of chunk 2]", new_string="[end of chunk 2]\n" + content_lines_401_to_500)

Critical Rules

• Never retry the same write that just failed - it will fail again
• Always chunk smaller than you think necessary
• Use Edit for appends, not multiple Write calls
• Don't explain the chunking process to the user unless they ask - just do it
• If Edit fails, use an even smaller chunk size (100 lines)

When to Use This Skill

• After seeing "Error writing file"
• After seeing "Invalid tool parameters"
• When writing files >300 lines
• Proactively for any file >500 lines

Remember: The goal is to complete the write successfully, not to write it all at once. Chunk aggressively and succeed.