refactor: remove read-many-files tool from agent (#12796)

docs/tools/index.md

@@ -82,9 +82,6 @@ Gemini CLI's built-in tools can be broadly categorized as follows:
   from URLs.
 - **[Web Search Tool](./web-search.md) (`google_web_search`):** For searching
   the web.
-- **[Multi-File Read Tool](./multi-file.md) (`read_many_files`):** (Deprecated,
-  will be removed in v0.16.0) A specialized tool for reading content from
-  multiple files or directories.
 - **[Memory Tool](./memory.md) (`save_memory`):** For saving and recalling
   information across sessions.
 - **[Todo Tool](./todos.md) (`write_todos`):** For managing subtasks of complex

docs/tools/multi-file.md

@@ -1,113 +0,0 @@
-# Multi File Read Tool (`read_many_files`)
-
-> **Deprecated:** This tool is deprecated and will be removed in v0.16.0. Please
-> use `read_file` instead. If you need to read multiple files, you can make
-> multiple parallel calls to `read_file`.
-
-This document describes the `read_many_files` tool for the Gemini CLI.
-
-## Description
-
-Use `read_many_files` to read content from multiple files specified by paths or
-glob patterns. The behavior of this tool depends on the provided files:
-
-- For text files, this tool concatenates their content into a single string.
-- For image (e.g., PNG, JPEG), PDF, audio (MP3, WAV), and video (MP4, MOV)
-  files, it reads and returns them as base64-encoded data, provided they are
-  explicitly requested by name or extension.
-
-`read_many_files` can be used to perform tasks such as getting an overview of a
-codebase, finding where specific functionality is implemented, reviewing
-documentation, or gathering context from multiple configuration files.
-
-**Note:** `read_many_files` looks for files following the provided paths or glob
-patterns. A directory path such as `"/docs"` will return an empty result; the
-tool requires a pattern such as `"/docs/*"` or `"/docs/*.md"` to identify the
-relevant files.
-
-### Arguments
-
-`read_many_files` takes the following arguments:
-
-- `paths` (list[string], required): An array of glob patterns or paths relative
-  to the tool's target directory (e.g., `["src/**/*.ts"]`,
-  `["README.md", "docs/*", "assets/logo.png"]`).
-- `exclude` (list[string], optional): Glob patterns for files/directories to
-  exclude (e.g., `["**/*.log", "temp/"]`). These are added to default excludes
-  if `useDefaultExcludes` is true.
-- `include` (list[string], optional): Additional glob patterns to include. These
-  are merged with `paths` (e.g., `["*.test.ts"]` to specifically add test files
-  if they were broadly excluded, or `["images/*.jpg"]` to include specific image
-  types).
-- `recursive` (boolean, optional): Whether to search recursively. This is
-  primarily controlled by `**` in glob patterns. Defaults to `true`.
-- `useDefaultExcludes` (boolean, optional): Whether to apply a list of default
-  exclusion patterns (e.g., `node_modules`, `.git`, non image/pdf binary files).
-  Defaults to `true`.
-- `respect_git_ignore` (boolean, optional): Whether to respect .gitignore
-  patterns when finding files. Defaults to true.
-
-## How to use `read_many_files` with the Gemini CLI
-
-`read_many_files` searches for files matching the provided `paths` and `include`
-patterns, while respecting `exclude` patterns and default excludes (if enabled).
-
-- For text files: it reads the content of each matched file (attempting to skip
-  binary files not explicitly requested as image/PDF) and concatenates it into a
-  single string, with a separator `--- {filePath} ---` between the content of
-  each file. Uses UTF-8 encoding by default.
-- The tool inserts a `--- End of content ---` after the last file.
-- For image and PDF files: if explicitly requested by name or extension (e.g.,
-  `paths: ["logo.png"]` or `include: ["*.pdf"]`), the tool reads the file and
-  returns its content as a base64 encoded string.
-- The tool attempts to detect and skip other binary files (those not matching
-  common image/PDF types or not explicitly requested) by checking for null bytes
-  in their initial content.
-
-Usage:
-
-```
-read_many_files(paths=["Your files or paths here."], include=["Additional files to include."], exclude=["Files to exclude."], recursive=False, useDefaultExcludes=false, respect_git_ignore=true)
-```
-
-## `read_many_files` examples
-
-Read all TypeScript files in the `src` directory:
-
-```
-read_many_files(paths=["src/**/*.ts"])
-```
-
-Read the main README, all Markdown files in the `docs` directory, and a specific
-logo image, excluding a specific file:
-
-```
-read_many_files(paths=["README.md", "docs/**/*.md", "assets/logo.png"], exclude=["docs/OLD_README.md"])
-```
-
-Read all JavaScript files but explicitly include test files and all JPEGs in an
-`images` folder:
-
-```
-read_many_files(paths=["**/*.js"], include=["**/*.test.js", "images/**/*.jpg"], useDefaultExcludes=False)
-```
-
-## Important notes
-
-- **Binary file handling:**
-  - **Image/PDF/Audio/Video files:** The tool can read common image types (PNG,
-    JPEG, etc.), PDF, audio (mp3, wav), and video (mp4, mov) files, returning
-    them as base64 encoded data. These files _must_ be explicitly targeted by
-    the `paths` or `include` patterns (e.g., by specifying the exact filename
-    like `video.mp4` or a pattern like `*.mov`).
-  - **Other binary files:** The tool attempts to detect and skip other types of
-    binary files by examining their initial content for null bytes. The tool
-    excludes these files from its output.
-- **Performance:** Reading a very large number of files or very large individual
-  files can be resource-intensive.
-- **Path specificity:** Ensure paths and glob patterns are correctly specified
-  relative to the tool's target directory. For image/PDF files, ensure the
-  patterns are specific enough to include them.
-- **Default excludes:** Be aware of the default exclusion patterns (like
-  `node_modules`, `.git`) and use `useDefaultExcludes=False` if you need to
-  override them, but do so cautiously.