feat: enhance read_files block to accept patterns as a JSON string or array, with updated schema, documentation, and new tests, and add .DS_Store to gitignore.

BREAKING: removed built-in templates as these were not maintained and potentially risky. A better alternative is in the works and will come soon.

Author: ibacalu

.gitignore

@@ -231,3 +231,6 @@ src/workflows_mcp/templates/agents/*
 !src/workflows_mcp/templates/agents/investigation/
 !src/workflows_mcp/templates/agents/cortex/
 !src/workflows_mcp/templates/agents/cortex-cell-v2/
+
+# OS
+.DS_Store

docs/llm/block-reference.md

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Field names are **exact** - use them precisely in your workflows.
 
 ### Optional Inputs
 
-- **`inputs`** (object): Inputs to pass to child workflow (variables resolved in parent context)
+- **`inputs`** (any): Inputs to pass to child workflow (variables resolved in parent context)
 - **`timeout_ms`** (any): Optional timeout for child execution in milliseconds
 
 ### Example
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ Field names are **exact** - use them precisely in your workflows.
 ### Required Inputs
 
 - **`path`** (string): Path to file to edit (relative or absolute)
-- **`operations`** (array): List of edit operations to apply sequentially
+- **`operations`** (any): List of edit operations to apply sequentially
 
 ### Optional Inputs
 
@@ -183,8 +183,8 @@ Field names are **exact** - use them precisely in your workflows.
 ### Optional Inputs
 
 - **`path`** (any): Single file path to read (absolute or relative). Mutually exclusive with patterns. Use for single-file reads.
-- **`patterns`** (array): Glob patterns for files to read (e.g., ['*.py', '**/*.ts', 'docs/**/*.md'])
-- **`base_path`** (string) *(default: `.`)*: Base directory to search from (relative or absolute). Used with patterns.
+- **`patterns`** (any): Glob patterns for files to read (e.g., ['*.py', '**/*.ts', 'docs/**/*.md'])
+- **`base_path`** (any) *(default: `.`)*: Base directory to search from (relative or absolute). Used with patterns.
 - **`mode`** (any) *(default: `full`)*: Output mode: 'full' (complete content), 'outline' (symbol tree with line ranges), 'summary' (outline + docstrings)
 - **`exclude_patterns`** (array): Additional patterns to exclude beyond defaults (e.g., ['*test*', '*.min.js'])
 - **`max_files`** (any) *(default: `20`)*: Maximum number of files to read (1-100, supports interpolation)

schema.json

@@ -538,13 +538,20 @@
                       "title": "Path"
                     },
                     "patterns": {
+                      "anyOf": [
+                        {
+                          "items": {
+                            "type": "string"
+                          },
+                          "type": "array"
+                        },
+                        {
+                          "type": "string"
+                        }
+                      ],
                       "description": "Glob patterns for files to read (e.g., ['*.py', '**/*.ts', 'docs/**/*.md'])",
-                      "items": {
-                        "type": "string"
-                      },
-                      "maxItems": 50,
-                      "title": "Patterns",
-                      "type": "array"
+                      "maxLength": 50,
+                      "title": "Patterns"
                     },
                     "base_path": {
                       "anyOf": [
@@ -2300,13 +2307,20 @@
           "title": "Path"
         },
         "patterns": {
+          "anyOf": [
+            {
+              "items": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "type": "array"
+            },
+            {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          ],
           "description": "Glob patterns for files to read (e.g., ['*.py', '**/*.ts', 'docs/**/*.md'])",
-          "items": {
-            "type": "string"
-          },
-          "maxItems": 50,
-          "title": "Patterns",
-          "type": "array"
+          "maxLength": 50,
+          "title": "Patterns"
         },
         "base_path": {
           "anyOf": [

src/workflows_mcp/engine/executors_file.py

@@ -233,12 +233,28 @@ class ReadFilesInput(BlockInput):
         ),
     )
 
-    patterns: list[str] = Field(
+    patterns: list[str] | str = Field(
         default_factory=list,
         description="Glob patterns for files to read (e.g., ['*.py', '**/*.ts', 'docs/**/*.md'])",
         max_length=50,
     )
 
+    @field_validator("patterns", mode="before")
+    @classmethod
+    def _parse_patterns_json(cls, v: Any) -> list[str] | Any:
+        """Parse JSON string patterns into list."""
+        if isinstance(v, str):
+            try:
+                import json
+
+                value = json.loads(v)
+                if not isinstance(value, list):
+                    raise ValueError(f"Parsed JSON must be a list, got {type(value).__name__}")
+                return value
+            except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+                raise ValueError(f"Invalid JSON in patterns: {e}")
+        return v
+
     base_path: str | None = Field(
         default=".",
         description="Base directory to search from (relative or absolute). Used with patterns.",