Edit mode

CoopAI edit mode turns natural-language instructions into search-replace patches you review and apply in VS Code. Use it when you want in-file changes without an autonomous agent rewriting your tree.

Edit mode ships in production. It uses the same chat composer as quick actions — no separate panel.

When to use edit mode

Use edit mode	Use plain chat instead
Refactor a highlighted block	Architecture or ownership questions
Fix a bug in the open file	Cross-tool context (Slack, Jira)
Apply a localized change with review	Exploratory "what if" analysis

Edit mode routes to the code_edit use case and expects patch blocks in the model response — not prose-only answers.

Model: Coop assigns OpenAI GPT-5.1 for /edit, /patch, and /fix in production (balanced mutation model). See Model assignments.

Slash commands

Type / in the composer to see edit commands:

Slash	Aliases	What it does
/edit	/patch, /fix	Generate search-replace patches for your instruction

Examples:

/edit add null check before dereferencing user

/patch rename handleError to onRequestError in this function

/fix off-by-one in the loop bounds

All three resolve to the same edit composer mode. Text after the command is your instruction.

Selection and file context

Coop attaches editor context automatically:

Context	Setting	Default
Selected lines	coopAI.includeSelection	true
Active file path	coopAI.includeActiveFile	true

Best practice: highlight the code you want changed, then run /edit <instruction>. Selection focuses the model; edit mode still attaches the full active file (up to the local-file byte limit) so multi-hunk refactors can wire call sites. With no selection, Coop uses the active file and your instruction.

Workspace owner / repo / branch (Settings → Workspace) help resolve indexed-repo context when the repo is Deep-Indexed.

How it works

flowchart LR
  A["/edit instruction"] --> B[Chat streams patch]
  B --> C[Parse SEARCH/REPLACE blocks]
  C --> D["Notification: Apply"]
  D --> E[Apply to workspace]
  E --> F{User action}
  F -->|Undo| G[Restore prior content]

1. Request — You send /edit … in chat. Coop emits edit.requested telemetry and streams a response using the code_edit system prompt.
2. Parse — When the response completes, the extension parses File: headers and <<<<<<< SEARCH / >>>>>>> REPLACE hunks.
3. Review — A VS Code notification shows Patch ready — N file(s) (M edits) with Apply and Reject. Dismissing the notification (X) keeps the patch pending — run CoopAI: Apply Patch later.
4. Apply — Click Apply or run CoopAI: Apply Patch (coopAI.applyPatch). Changed files are written in the workspace. SEARCH blocks tolerate minor whitespace drift (indent/trim) when an exact match is not found.
5. Undo — After apply, the success notification includes Undo, or run CoopAI: Undo Last Patch (coopAI.undoLastPatch).
6. Retry — If apply fails, click Retry on the error notification or run CoopAI: Retry Last Patch (coopAI.retryLastPatch). Coop re-opens the pending patch or sends a follow-up /edit turn asking the model to fix SEARCH blocks.

If parsing fails, no patch is staged — check the chat response for valid patch formatting.

Patch format

The model returns one or more files with search-replace hunks:

File: src/auth/login.ts

<<<<<<< SEARCH
if (!user) {
  return null;
}
=======
if (!user) {
  throw new Error("User required");
}
>>>>>>> REPLACE

• File: — Repository-relative path (backticks optional).
• <<<<<<< SEARCH — Exact text to find (must match the file, including indentation).
• ======= — Separator between search and replace.
• >>>>>>> REPLACE — Replacement text.

Multi-file edits include multiple File: sections. Each file can have multiple hunks.

Apply and undo

Apply

Method	Surface
Apply button	VS Code notification after patch is parsed
CoopAI: Apply Patch	Command Palette (coopAI.applyPatch)
Reject button	Notification — clears pending patch
CoopAI: Reject Patch	Command Palette (coopAI.rejectPatch)
CoopAI: Retry Last Patch	Command Palette (coopAI.retryLastPatch) — re-show pending patch or regenerate after apply failure

Success: Notification shows Applied patch to N file(s). with an Undo action.

Undo

Method	Surface
Undo button	On the apply-success notification
CoopAI: Undo Last Patch	Command Palette (coopAI.undoLastPatch)

Undo restores file contents from before the last successful apply. Only the most recent apply is undoable.

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
coopAI.includeSelection	true	Include the current editor selection in chat context
coopAI.includeActiveFile	true	Include the active file path in chat context

See Extension settings for Workspace and Preferences.

Telemetry

Event	When
edit.requested	/edit, /patch, or /fix sent
edit.patch_parsed	Valid patch blocks parsed
edit.patch_applied	Apply succeeded
edit.patch_undone	Undo succeeded
edit.patch_failed	Parse, apply, or undo error
edit.patch_rejected	User explicitly rejected the patch (Reject or CoopAI: Reject Patch)

Org admins see edit metrics in the admin portal. Members see personal usage on My Usage.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
No Apply notification	Model response may lack valid File: + SEARCH/REPLACE blocks — rephrase or narrow the selection
Apply failed — search text not found	SEARCH block must match the file exactly; regenerate with the selection highlighted
No patch pending	Run /edit first; only one pending patch is held at a time
Nothing to undo	Undo only covers the last successful apply
Wrong file edited	Confirm selection and active file; check Workspace repo/branch

More fixes: Troubleshooting.

Next steps

• Inline autocomplete — ghost-text completions (on by default)
• Extension settings
• Owner's Manual — Edit selection