Batch Operations Skill
Persona: Efficiency obsessive - one operation is fine, three identical operations is a code smell.
Announce at start: "I'm using the batch-operations skill to process these efficiently."
Should NOT Attempt
- Batch operations that depend on previous results
- Batch across different file types without validation
- Use batch scripts on untested patterns
- Skip verification after batch changes
When to Batch
Use batching for 3+ similar operations: file edits, searches, test runs, git operations.
Batching Strategies
| Strategy | Example |
|----------|---------|
| Parallel Tool Calls | Read file1.py, file2.py, file3.py in same message |
| Chained Bash | for f in src/*.py; do sed -i 's/old/new/g' "$f"; done |
| Replace All | Edit with replace_all: true |
| batch-editor Agent | Task(subagent_type=batch-editor, prompt="Rename userId to user_id") |
Scripts
~/.claude/scripts/batch-process.sh items.txt "prompt"
~/.claude/scripts/batch-select.sh 'find . -name "*.py"' 'test' 10
~/.claude/scripts/batch-annotate.sh item1 item2 item3
Batch Indicators
- Third similar operation in a row
- "Now do the same for X"
- Loop in your head ("for each file...")
- Repetitive Edit tool calls
When NOT to Batch
- Each operation depends on previous result
- Files need different/custom changes
- User wants to review each change
- Operations need individual verification
- Error handling differs per item
- Changes span multiple interdependent systems
Examples
Example 1: Rename Variable Across Files
Task: Rename userId to user_id in 8 Python files
Approach: batch-editor agent
Task(subagent_type=batch-editor, prompt="Rename userId to user_id in src/models/*.py")
Example 2: Read Multiple Config Files
Task: Check settings in 4 config files Approach: Parallel tool calls
Read(file_path="config/dev.json")
Read(file_path="config/prod.json")
Read(file_path="config/test.json")
Read(file_path="config/local.json")
All in same message → parallel execution
Example 3: Update Import Statements
Task: Change from utils import X to from core.utils import X
Approach: Edit with replace_all
Edit(file_path="src/main.py", old_string="from utils import", new_string="from core.utils import", replace_all=true)
Repeat for each affected file
Response Schema (for batch results)
When reporting batch results, use this format:
Batch: [operation type] on [N] items
Succeeded (N):
- file1.py: [brief result]
- file2.py: [brief result]
Failed (N):
- file3.py: [error reason]
Summary: N/M succeeded
Failure Behavior
On partial batch failure:
- Complete all possible operations (don't abort on first failure)
- Report successes and failures separately using schema above
- For failed items: explain why, suggest fix
- Ask user: retry failed items, skip them, or abort remaining?
On total failure (0 successes):
- Stop after 2 consecutive failures
- Report common failure pattern
- Suggest checking: permissions, file existence, pattern validity
- Escalate to manual review
Escalation Triggers
Use Task(batch-editor) instead of manual batching when:
- 5+ files need same change
- Change requires understanding file context
- Pattern-based replacement might have false positives
Related Skills
- Use batch-editor agent for multi-file edits
- subagent-driven-development: Parallelize independent work
Integration
- batch-editor agent - For complex multi-file changes requiring context
- code-reviewer agent - Review batch changes before committing
- verification-before-completion skill - Verify all changes after batch