Skip to main content
File editing tools provide secure, workspace-scoped file operations with fuzzy find-and-replace capabilities for precise code and content modifications.

​
Quick Start

1

Basic File Editing

from praisonaiagents import Agent

agent = Agent(
    name="Code Editor",
    instructions="Edit code files carefully using fuzzy search and replace.",
    tools=["edit_file", "search_files", "read_file"]
)

agent.start("Replace 'getUserName' with 'getUserEmail' in all JavaScript files.")
2

Search and Edit Workflow

# Agent workflow:
# 1. search_files("./src", "getUserName", "*.js") - Find occurrences
# 2. edit_file("src/user.js", "getUserName", "getUserEmail") - Make changes
# 3. read_file("src/user.js") - Verify results

​
How It Works

File editing operations use workspace containment for security:
OperationRisk LevelWorkspace RequiredPurpose
search_filesLowNoFind patterns in files
read_fileLowNoRead file contents
list_filesLowNoDirectory listings
edit_fileHighRecommendedModify file contents
write_fileHighRecommendedCreate/overwrite files

​
Configuration Options

​
File Editing Functions

FunctionArgsDescription
edit_filefilepath, old_string, new_string, replace_all=FalseFuzzy find-and-replace in file
search_filesdirectory, pattern, file_pattern="*"Search for text patterns
read_filefilepathRead file contents
write_filefilepath, contentWrite/overwrite file
list_filesdirectoryList directory contents

​
Search Parameters

# Basic text search
search_files("./src", "function getUserName")

# File type filtering
search_files("./src", "useState", "*.jsx")
search_files("./docs", "# Introduction", "*.md")

# Recursive directory search
search_files("./", "TODO:", "*.py")

​
Edit Options

# Single replacement (default)
edit_file("config.js", "port: 3000", "port: 8080")

# Replace all occurrences
edit_file("styles.css", "color: blue", "color: green", replace_all=True)

# Case-sensitive replacement
edit_file("README.md", "PraisonAI", "PraisonAI Framework")

​
Workspace Integration

from praisonaiagents.tools import create_edit_tools
from praisonaiagents.workspace import Workspace

workspace = Workspace(root=Path("./project"), access="rw")
edit_tools = create_edit_tools(workspace=workspace)

# All operations scoped to workspace
result = edit_tools.edit_file("src/app.js", "old", "new")

​
Common Patterns

​
Code Refactoring

agent = Agent(
    name="Refactoring Assistant",
    instructions="""
    For refactoring tasks:
    1. Search for pattern occurrences first
    2. Show user what will be changed
    3. Apply edits systematically
    4. Verify results by reading modified files
    """,
    tools=["search_files", "edit_file", "read_file"]
)

# User: "Rename all instances of 'oldFunction' to 'newFunction'"
# Agent workflow:
# search_files("./src", "oldFunction")  # Find all occurrences
# edit_file("src/utils.js", "oldFunction", "newFunction", replace_all=True)
# read_file("src/utils.js")  # Verify changes

​
Configuration Updates

# Update environment variables
edit_file(".env", "DATABASE_URL=localhost", "DATABASE_URL=production.db")

# Update package versions  
search_files(".", "\"react\": \"16", "package.json")
edit_file("package.json", "\"react\": \"16.14.0\"", "\"react\": \"18.2.0\"")

# Update documentation
edit_file("README.md", "## Version 1.0", "## Version 2.0")

​
Bulk Content Changes

# Update copyright notices
search_files("./src", "Copyright 2023", "*.js")
edit_file("src/header.js", "Copyright 2023", "Copyright 2024", replace_all=True)

# Update API endpoints
search_files("./src", "/api/v1/", "*.js")
edit_file("src/api.js", "/api/v1/", "/api/v2/", replace_all=True)

​
Best Practices

Always use search_files to locate patterns before making edits. This provides visibility into the scope of changes and prevents unexpected modifications.
File editing operations respect workspace boundaries. Destructive operations (edit_file, write_file) require proper workspace configuration for security.
After making edits, use read_file to verify changes were applied correctly. This catches encoding issues or unexpected results.
Edit operations are atomic - they either succeed completely or leave the original file unchanged. This prevents file corruption from partial writes.

Workspace

How workspace containment secures file operations

Bot Default Tools

File tools included in default bot toolsets