pi-semantic-edit

The model proposes. The harness disposes.

pi-semantic-edit is a drop-in replacement for Pi's built-in edit tool. The model emits old code → new code the way it's seen a billion times in training — GitHub diffs, Stack Overflow answers, merge markers — and the harness does the painstaking work of locating, disambiguating, verifying, and applying. The model is the architect; the harness is the builder and the inspector.

---

Features

• Handles ambiguity — duplicates, whitespace drift, and stale reads are resolved automatically through layered matching, not retries
• Anchor targeting — provide a nearby unique snippet to pin the edit to a specific function or block
• SEARCH/REPLACE blocks — the model writes old/new blocks in the same natural format it knows from training, no JSON schema required
• Safety verification — post-edit coherence checks catch unbalanced braces and suspicious indentation before they reach your codebase
• Drop-in replacement — same tool name, same rendering. The model calls edit as always; the only difference is the harness.

---

Quick Start

# Install from git
pi install git:https://github.com/k3-2o/pi-semantic-edit.git

# Or load directly from a local checkout
pi -e ./index.ts

Once loaded, the extension replaces Pi's built-in edit tool. The model calls edit as always.

---

Usage

Basic old/new blocks (JSON)

{
  "path": "src/foo.ts",
  "edits": [
    {
      "oldText": "    console.log('hello');",
      "newText": "    console.log('goodbye');"
    }
  ]
}

With an anchor

When the same oldText appears in multiple places, add an anchor — a nearby unique snippet like a function signature:

{
  "path": "src/foo.ts",
  "edits": [
    {
      "anchor": "function logMessage() {",
      "oldText": "    console.log('hello');",
      "newText": "    console.log('goodbye');"
    }
  ]
}

SEARCH/REPLACE blocks (patch format)

Instead of JSON, use a natural block format that matches how models already express edits in training:

src/foo.ts
<<<<<<< SEARCH
    console.log('hello');
=======
    console.log('goodbye');
>>>>>>> REPLACE

Send this as the patch field:

{
  "patch": "src/foo.ts\n<<<<<<< SEARCH\n    console.log('hello');\n=======\n    console.log('goodbye');\n>>>>>>> REPLACE"
}

Multiple blocks can appear in one patch string. The file path is read from the [filename] header before each block.

---

License

MIT — see LICENSE