file · Command reference

`qzx deleteFile`

What it does

Previews or deletes a file or directory from the filesystem

Canonical command: deleteFile

Accepted aliases: None

Case-sensitive: no

Included in the published package

Available in PyPI 0.2.2.0.2. This page documents the 0.2.2.0.2 alpha development checkout.

Safety and effects

Can mutate state

Documented dry-run parameter

No native program invocation in the current classification

No documented network use

Outcome may depend on permissions

Preview-only by default. Applying a deletion creates a fail-closed safety archive first. --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox/--yolo executes while explicitly skipping that archive. Filesystem roots are always protected.

Before mutation, QZX creates a recovery archive; --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox/--yolo explicitly skips it.

This safety classification was reviewed against implementation digest sha256:cbb0714a6c9eb9fd25d000299c9e694fe761c2c9e74d1b8726de4bbb64ba6b07 on 2026-07-24.

Exact syntax

qzx deleteFile <target> [recursive] [force] [dry_run] [apply] [allow_unsafe] --json

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
target	str	Yes	Not declared	Path to the file, symlink, or directory
recursive	bool	No	false	Use true/-r for all descendants or a positive integer for limited depth
force	bool	No	false	Continue a limited-depth deletion after individual errors
dry_run	bool	No	true	Preview the operation without deleting anything
apply	bool	No	false	Explicitly authorize deletion; required together with dry_run=false
allow_unsafe	bool	No	false	Allow deleting protected locations such as the current or home directory

Input examples

qzx deleteFile myfile.txt

Preview deletion of a file (default behavior)

qzx deleteFile mydir --recursive true

Preview recursive deletion of a directory

qzx deleteFile mydir --recursive true --dry_run false --apply

Back up and delete a directory and all descendants

For the complete structured payload, add --json: qzx deleteFile <target> [recursive] [force] [dry_run] [apply] [allow_unsafe] --json

Representative output example

This illustrative JSON is derived from the current implementation-backed result contract. It shows what the command can return without claiming a recorded execution; values vary with inputs, host, permissions, and optional tools.

Example command: qzx deleteFile myfile.txt --json

{
    "success": true,
    "message": "Previews or deletes a file or directory from the filesystem. In this illustrative example, the command completed successfully.",
    "details": {
        "dry_run_mode": true
    }
}

View the JSON result contract

{
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "required": [
        "success",
        "message"
    ],
    "properties": {
        "success": {
            "type": "boolean"
        },
        "message": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "details": {
            "oneOf": [
                {
                    "type": "object",
                    "properties": {
                        "dry_run_mode": {
                            "type": "boolean"
                        }
                    },
                    "additionalProperties": true
                },
                {
                    "type": "object",
                    "properties": {
                        "errors": []
                    },
                    "additionalProperties": true
                }
            ]
        },
        "error": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "error_code": {
            "type": "string"
        }
    },
    "additionalProperties": true
}

Errors and limits

The public contract requires success=false and a descriptive message on failure. This catalog does not yet declare a command-specific error taxonomy; inspect the result and do not invent error codes.

QZX is alpha software. Optional dependencies, permissions, and host capabilities can change the result.

Evidence workflow: requires a controlled privileged environment.

Evidence and provenance

Implementation: src/qzx/commands/file/delete_file.py
Tests: No command-specific test file with the same module name was found; this does not prove that all coverage is absent.
Documentation channel: Development documentation 0.2.2.0.2 · main · sha256:319b16857a87636ebc3b89734cc040a737bb56194464fca33ce73bdae2043096
Availability: 0.2.2.0.2 or earlier

Keep exploring

These commands also belong to the file category. Compare them to choose the operation that best fits your task.

Explore all QZX commands