grokkit/docs/user-guide/edit.md

✏️ Edit Guide

The edit command allows you to modify an existing file in-place using natural language instructions. It's a quick and efficient way to refactor code, fix bugs, or add features without manually editing the file.

Why use Edit?

• Natural Language: Just tell Grok what you want to change (e.g., "Add a new parameter to the NewClient function").
• Interactive Preview: See the proposed changes in a unified diff format before they are applied.
• Refactoring made easy: Effortlessly refactor large functions or rewrite entire blocks of code.
• Cleanup: edit automatically removes unnecessary comments, last modified timestamps, and ownership headers for a cleaner codebase.

Basic Usage

# Basic usage
grokkit edit main.go "add error handling to all functions"

# Complex refactoring
grokkit edit server.go "convert this to use context for cancellation"

# Add features
grokkit edit api.go "add rate limiting middleware"

# Documentation
grokkit edit utils.go "add detailed docstrings to all exported functions"

Safety Features

• Diff-style Preview: Shows exactly what will change.
• Confirmation Required: Nothing is written without your y/N.
• Silent Streaming: No console spam while waiting.

Options

Flag	Description
--model, -m	Override the default model (e.g., grok-4)

How it Works

1. File Retrieval: Grokkit reads the content of the target file.
2. Contextual Analysis: It prepares a prompt for Grok with the original file content and your instructions.
3. AI Generation: Grok processes the request and returns the updated file content.
4. Interactive Preview: Grokkit shows you a preview of the changes in a unified diff format.
5. Confirmation: You review the changes and confirm before the file is overwritten.

Best Practices

• Specific Instructions: The more specific you are, the better the result. Instead of "Fix the bug", try "Fix the race condition in the UpdateState method".
• Review carefully: Always review the diff before applying changes, especially for complex refactors.
• Git workflow: Commit your changes before using edit so you can easily revert if you're not happy with the result.
• Combine with Lint: After editing, run grokkit lint to ensure the new code meets your project's standards.