touch_file

touch_file

When a Write or Edit tool call fails while trying to create a new file, recover by using touch via the Bash tool to create the empty file first, then retry the Write.

Why this matters

The Write tool can fail when creating new files — often because parent directories don't exist, or the filesystem needs the file to be created differently. Rather than giving up or trying workarounds, a quick mkdir -p + touch reliably sets up the file path so the Write tool succeeds on retry.

Recovery steps

When Write or Edit fails on a new file (not an existing one):

1. Create parent directories — run mkdir -p <parent-directory> via Bash to ensure the full directory path exists.
2. Create the empty file — run touch <filepath> via Bash.
3. Retry the Write — use the Write tool again with the same content. It should succeed now.

You can combine steps 1 and 2:

mkdir -p src/utils && touch src/utils/helpers.ts

When this applies

• A Write tool call fails and the target file does not already exist
• The error mentions missing directories, file not found, or path issues
• You're trying to create a file in a nested directory structure

Edge case: broken symlinks

If mkdir -p fails because a broken symlink occupies a path component (error like No such file or directory even though mkdir -p should create it), the symlink is pointing to a nonexistent target and blocking directory creation. Do not remove it automatically — the symlink may be there intentionally. Instead, tell the user what you found and ask how they'd like to proceed (e.g., remove the symlink, fix its target, or choose a different path).

When this does NOT apply

• Edit or Write fails on a file that already exists — that's a different problem
• The error is unrelated to file creation (e.g., permission denied on an existing file, disk full)