facet cat

Usage

facet cat <name> <asset-or-path>

Prints the content of one skill, command, agent, or declared file of a facet installed in the current project, exactly as installed. It reads the same verified local copy as facet info, whose output lists the facet cat command for every printable file.

Examples

facet cat cowsay cowsay-rules                 # a skill's SKILL.md
facet cat cowsay agents/cowsay                # the agent, not the command of the same name
facet cat cowsay README.md | less             # page through a file
facet cat cowsay cowsay-rules > rules.md      # an exact copy
$EDITOR "$(facet cat --path cowsay README.md)" # open the installed file in your editor

Flags

boolean

Print the location of the file on this machine instead of its content. The file is not opened.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	The file, or its path, was printed.
`1`	The facet is not installed, its local copy is missing or does not match `facets.lock`, the selector matched nothing or more than one asset, it named an MCP server, or the file is binary.
`2`	An unexpected error escaped command handling.

Output

On a terminal, control characters and invisible or direction-changing Unicode, including tag characters, are shown as visible escapes (^[, <U+202E>, <U+E0041>), and a note on stderr says how many. Redirected or piped, the file’s bytes are written unchanged. Errors go to stderr, so stdout only ever holds the file.

Details

Selecting a file

Form	Example	Selects
Asset name	`cowsay-rules`	The one skill, command, or agent with that name
Folder and name	`agents/cowsay`	That asset, when an agent shares its name with a skill or command
File path	`commands/cowsay.md`	That exact file
Declared file	`README.md`, `skills/review/references/api.md`	A file listed in the manifest’s `files`
Manifest	`facet.json`	The facet’s manifest

When a declared file’s path is exactly the same as an asset’s name, the file path wins; select the asset by its file path instead, such as commands/cowsay.md. A path that starts with - goes after --, as in facet cat cowsay -- -notes.md, so it is not read as a flag. The commands facet info prints already account for both. Only facet.json and the files the manifest declares can be selected. Anything else, including paths with .., is reported as matching nothing. For a facet read from a directory on this machine, a declared file that is a link, or that resolves outside the facet’s directory, is refused.

CLI Reference

Facet Management

Adapters

Authentication

Authoring

CLI