Sharing files with Paver

IBM® Paver has a persistent file system that is available from wherever you access Paver. Files you upload are available to Paver during any conversation, and files Paver creates such as generated configurations, scripts, Terraform plans, and more can be downloaded to your local machine.

How Paver uses workspace files#

When you reference a file by name in a conversation in paver chat or the web UI, Paver can read it directly from the workspace:

Review the cluster-config.yaml I uploaded and check it against best practices.

Run the deploy.sh script with the staging environment variables.

Paver can also create and write files during a session. If you ask Paver to generate a Terraform module or write a shell script, it saves the output to the workspace, and then you can download it with paver files download.

Working with files#

You can list all files currently in your sandbox workspace, upload new files to work with, download your files, and delete files that you no longer need Paver to use in your workflow. Use the /files slash command in paver chat or the web UI to start managing your files.

Viewing files#

In a chat, ask Paver to show your workspace files:

What files do I have in my workspace?

From an interactive chat, use the /files list slash command to list your files without leaving your chat session:

/files list

From the CLI, run the following command to list all of your files in the workspace with names and sizes:

paver files list

Referencing files with @#

You can reference a local file directly inside a chat message by typing @ followed by the file path. Paver automatically uploads the file and includes it in the conversation without requiring a separate upload step.

Prefix any local file path with @ to attach it inline. The ~ shorthand expands to your home directory, the same as it does in a terminal.

Hey Paver, look at @~/plan.md and see if this plan aligns with what we have in the account.

When Paver sees @~/plan.md, it uploads plan.md from your home directory and reads it as part of your message. You can use any valid file path, relative or absolute:

Review @./terraform/main.tf and flag any issues with the configuration.

Files that you attach with @ are uploaded to your workspace, so they are subject to the same file size and storage limits as other uploaded files.

Uploading files#

Upload files from your local machine to the workspace so you can reference them during conversations with Paver.

You can upload any file type that is within the file size and storage limits. Common uploads include:

• Terraform files and modules
• Kubernetes manifests
• Configuration files
• Log files for troubleshooting
• Scripts that you want Paver to reference or run

From an interactive chat, use the /files upload slash command to upload a local file or folder to the sandbox workspace:

/files upload ./terraform/main.tf
/files upload ./configs/prod-cluster-config.yaml

From the CLI, run the following commands to upload a file from your local machine to the sandbox workspace:

paver files upload ./terraform/main.tf
paver files upload ./configs/prod-cluster-config.yaml

When your files are uploaded, you can reference them during conversations for Paver to use. For example:

I've uploaded main.tf — review it and flag any issues with the VPC configuration.

File size and storage limits#

The following limits apply to your files:

• Each file can be a maximum of 32 MB.
• Your total storage quota is 200 MB per user.

Downloading files#

Download a file from the workspace to your local machine. Use this to retrieve files that Paver has created or modified, for example a generated Terraform plan or a revised configuration.

In a chat, ask Paver to download the file:

Download generated-policy.json to my local machine.

From an interactive chat, use the /files download slash command:

/files download main.tf
/files download generated-policy.json

From the CLI, run the following commands to download files to your current local directory:

paver files download main.tf
paver files download generated-policy.json

Deleting files#

You can permanently delete files from the workspace when they're no longer needed. This action can't be undone, so download any files that you want to retain for future reference.

In a chat, ask Paver to delete the file:

Delete old-config.yaml from my workspace.

From an interactive chat, use the /files remove slash command, or use /files clear to remove all workspace files:

/files remove old-config.yaml
/files clear

From the CLI, run the following commands:

paver files remove old-config.yaml
paver files clear