read_smart - Linksee Memory

Read a file with diff-only caching. Use INSTEAD of the standard Read tool for files you have read before — saves 50%+ tokens on re-reads.

How it works

Read #	File state	Response	Tokens
1st	New file	Full content + chunk metadata	~900
2nd	Unchanged (same mtime)	`"unchanged"` + cached chunk list	~50
2nd	Touched but identical (mtime changed, sha256 same)	`"unchanged_content"`	~50
2nd	Modified	Changed chunks with content + unchanged chunks as metadata-only	~200

Parameters

string

required

Absolute file path.

boolean

default:"false"

If true, return full content regardless of cache state.

Response statuses

`first_read`

Full file content with chunk metadata. Each chunk includes:

name — function name, heading text, or line range
hash — sha256 of chunk content
lines — line range in the file

`unchanged`

File mtime matches cache. Returns chunk list (names + hashes) without content. Maximum token savings.

`unchanged_content`

File mtime changed but sha256 matches — the file was touched (e.g. git checkout) but content is identical.

`modified`

File actually changed. Returns:

Changed chunks: full content included
Unchanged chunks: metadata only (name + hash)

Chunking strategies

File type	Strategy	Chunk identity
TS / JS / JSX / TSX	AST via @babel/parser	Top-level declarations (function name, class name, export)
Python	Indent-based	Top-level `def` / `class` blocks
Markdown	Heading-based	h2 / h3 sections
Everything else	Fixed windows	100-line blocks

AST-aware chunking means that if you add a function at the top of a file, only the new function shows as “changed” — existing functions keep their identity and hash, so they’re returned as metadata-only.

Example

{
  "path": "/home/user/project/src/db/connection.ts"
}

First read:

{
  "status": "first_read",
  "chunks": [
    { "name": "import_block", "lines": "1-5", "hash": "abc123", "content": "import { Pool }..." },
    { "name": "createPool", "lines": "7-25", "hash": "def456", "content": "export function createPool()..." },
    { "name": "getConnection", "lines": "27-45", "hash": "ghi789", "content": "export async function..." }
  ],
  "total_tokens": 890
}

Second read (unchanged):

{
  "status": "unchanged",
  "chunks": [
    { "name": "import_block", "lines": "1-5", "hash": "abc123" },
    { "name": "createPool", "lines": "7-25", "hash": "def456" },
    { "name": "getConnection", "lines": "27-45", "hash": "ghi789" }
  ],
  "total_tokens": 48
}

94.6% token savings.

​How it works

​Parameters

​Response statuses

​first_read

​unchanged

​unchanged_content

​modified

​Chunking strategies

​Example

How it works

Parameters

Response statuses

`first_read`

`unchanged`

`unchanged_content`

`modified`

Chunking strategies

Example