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Overview

The SDK supports file attachments in user messages using <vibe-work-attachment> tags. The framework automatically reads and processes attached files.

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Basic Usage

let user_input = r#"Analyze this code:
<vibe-work-attachment>/path/to/main.rs</vibe-work-attachment>"#;

handle.send_input(user_input).await?;
The framework will:
  1. Detect the attachment tag
  2. Read the file at the specified path
  3. Create a multi-block user message with both text and file content

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Multiple Attachments

let input = r#"Compare these files:
<vibe-work-attachment>./version1.rs</vibe-work-attachment>
<vibe-work-attachment>./version2.rs</vibe-work-attachment>"#;

handle.send_input(input).await?;

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Supported File Types

TypeBehavior
Text filesRead as UTF-8 with line numbers (max 2000 lines)
Images (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP)Base64-encoded for vision API (max 5MB)
PDFsBase64-encoded for document API (max 32MB)
DirectoriesLists contents with type, size, and name

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How It Works

  1. Framework detects <vibe-work-attachment> tags in user input
  2. Extracts file paths and deduplicates (same file referenced twice is only read once)
  3. Reads each file in order
  4. Creates multi-block user message with original text + content blocks
  5. If a file cannot be read, inserts an error message block instead

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Message Structure

{
  "role": "user",
  "content": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "Analyze this code:\n<vibe-work-attachment>./main.rs</vibe-work-attachment>"
    },
    {
      "type": "text",
      "text": "File: ./main.rs\n\n     1\tfn main() {\n     2\t    println!(\"Hello\");\n     3\t}"
    }
  ]
}

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Deduplication

Duplicate file references are detected by resolved absolute path: 
let input = r#"Compare with original:
<vibe-work-attachment>./main.rs</vibe-work-attachment>
Also check for bugs:
<vibe-work-attachment>./main.rs</vibe-work-attachment>"#;
The second occurrence receives: “Note: File ./main.rs was already attached above”

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Path Resolution

  • Absolute paths: Used as-is
  • Relative paths: Resolved from the current working directory

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Error Handling

Individual attachment failures do not block the message: 
let input = r#"Read these files:
<vibe-work-attachment>./good.txt</vibe-work-attachment>
<vibe-work-attachment>./missing.txt</vibe-work-attachment>"#;

// Agent receives:
// - Content of good.txt
// - Error message for missing.txt

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Frontend Integration

Tags are preserved in the message text, allowing frontends to parse and display attachment badges. A typical flow:
  1. User types @main.rs or drags a file
  2. Frontend converts to <vibe-work-attachment>./main.rs</vibe-work-attachment>
  3. Backend processes automatically via handle.send_input(&message).await?
// Parse tags for UI display
const regex = /<vibe-work-attachment>(.*?)<\/vibe-work-attachment>/g;

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Programmatic Access

use picrust::helpers::process_attachments;

let user_input = "Analyze <vibe-work-attachment>./file.txt</vibe-work-attachment>";
let processed_message = process_attachments(user_input)?;

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Next Steps

Image & PDF Support

Details on image and PDF processing

Tauri Integration

Building file attachment UI