IBM i Integrated File System (IFS) Operations

Browse, search, read, and inspect files in the IFS including authorities, locks, and server shares using QSYS2 SQL services.

Available Tools

The ibmi CLI is the primary tool for IFS operations. Set SKILL_DIR to this skill's installed location (the directory containing this SKILL.md file):

# SKILL_DIR = directory containing this SKILL.md
# Examples: ./skills/ifs, ~/.claude/skills/ifs

ibmi tools --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --toolset ifs_default
ibmi tool list_ifs_directory --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --path /home
ibmi sql "SELECT PATH_NAME, DATA_SIZE FROM TABLE(QSYS2.IFS_OBJECT_STATISTICS(START_PATH_NAME => '/tmp', SUBTREE_DIRECTORIES => 'NO'))"

Service Selection Guide

Browsing & Search

• QSYS2.IFS_OBJECT_STATISTICS -- List directory contents, search by name, find large files
• QSYS2.SERVER_SHARE_INFO -- NetServer file and print shares

Security & Locks

• QSYS2.IFS_OBJECT_PRIVILEGES -- Authority settings for IFS objects
• QSYS2.IFS_OBJECT_LOCK_INFO -- Lock information and job contention

Content

• QSYS2.IFS_READ -- Read text file contents line by line

Key Capabilities

File Browsing

• Directory Listing -- List contents of any IFS directory with type, size, owner
• Recursive Search -- Find files matching name patterns across directory trees
• Large File Detection -- Identify biggest files consuming disk space

Security Analysis

• Authority Review -- Check read/write/execute authorities per user
• Lock Diagnosis -- Identify which jobs hold locks on files
• Owner Information -- Track file ownership across the IFS

Content Access

• Text File Reading -- Read configuration files, logs, scripts
• Share Management -- View NetServer shares and connection counts

Common Use Cases

1. Browse directories -- List contents of /home, /tmp, or application paths
2. Find files -- Search for configuration files, logs, or specific extensions
3. Disk space analysis -- Find largest files in a directory tree
4. Authority audit -- Check who has access to sensitive files
5. Lock troubleshooting -- Identify jobs blocking file access
6. Read config files -- View application configuration or properties files
7. Share inventory -- List all NetServer file shares

Quick Examples

List root directory

ibmi tool list_ifs_directory --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --path /

Search for log files

ibmi tool search_ifs_by_name --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --path /home --name-pattern '%.log'

Read a text file

ibmi tool read_ifs_file --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --path /etc/hosts

Check file authorities

ibmi tool get_ifs_object_authorities --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --path /home/myuser

Pre-built Tools

The tools/ifs.yaml file provides 8 ready-to-use tools:

Tool	Description
list_ifs_directory	List directory contents with type, size, owner
get_ifs_object_info	Detailed object info including journaling and CCSID
search_ifs_by_name	Recursive file search by name pattern
list_ifs_large_objects	Find largest files in a directory tree
get_ifs_object_authorities	Authority settings for IFS objects
read_ifs_file	Read text file contents line by line
list_ifs_object_locks	Lock information for file contention diagnosis
list_server_shares	NetServer file and print shares

ibmi tool <tool_name> --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/"          # Execute
ibmi tool <tool_name> --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/" --dry-run # Preview SQL
ibmi tools show <tool_name> --tools "$SKILL_DIR/tools/"     # View details

Reference Documentation

• IFS Services Catalog -- Available SQL services
• Example SQL Patterns -- Working query examples
• IBM IFS_OBJECT_STATISTICS -- Table function documentation